The New York Times, May 24, 2012 Giselle Fernandez is only 17 but she has had more than 50 operations since she was born with a rare genetic condition. She regularly sees a host of pediatric specialists, including an ophthalmologist, an endocrinologist and a neurologist at UCLA Health System. Her care has cost hundreds… Read more »
News
Legislation may enable states to offer universal healthcare
By David Lazarus Los Angeles Times, May 25, 2012 Universal coverage, Medicarefor all, single payer — call it what you will. It’s clear that conservative forces are determined to prevent such a system from ever being introduced at the national level. So it’s up to the states.The catch is that to make universal coverage… Read more »
1 in 5 ED Patients Referred By Primary Care Doctors
Cheryl Clark, for HealthLeaders Media, May 29, 2012 One in five patients who went to the ED but were not sick enough to require an inpatient bed said they sought the emergency department because their primary care doctor told them to go there, according to a federal survey. The Centers for Disease Control and… Read more »
MO Hospitals Review Highlights Value of Disaster Preparedness
John Commins, for HealthLeaders Media, May 21, 2012 Tuesday, May 22 marks the one year anniversary of the devastating tornado that killed 161 people in Joplin, MO and hobbled the city’s healthcare delivery infrastructure. In seconds, an EF5 tornado packing winds in excess of 200 mph destroyed the 367-bed St. John’s Mercy Regional Medical… Read more »
Mapping Out Revenue-Cycle Solutions
This article appears in the May 2012 issue of HealthLeaders magazine. The payer and provider communities are still dealing with HIPAA 5010, and trying to shift attention to ICD-10 is tough,” says Craig Collins, division chair for revenue cycle and administrative lead of the ICD-10 transition at the Rochester, Minn.–based Mayo Clinic. “We put together… Read more »
Hospital malpractice defense tactic unfair, critics say
By Karen M. Cheung Fierce Healthcare The recent malpractice case at UPMC Presbyterian highlights a common legal tactic that protects physicians under the corporate shield of the health organization–remove the physicians’ names from the case, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. The family of Samuel Sweet, a patient who died in 2009 while being treated at… Read more »
4 Keys to Engage Patients and Operate in an Outcomes-Based Reimbursement Environment
Written by Benjamin Littenberg, MD, CMO, and James Rose, MBA, Senior Vice President, Patient Engagement Systems May 11, 2012 Emerging models such as accountable care organizations will require better care coordination among providers, hospitals and their patients. Furthermore, Medicare, Medicaid, private and self-insured payors will continue to pay hospitals and physician practices based on… Read more »
Readmissions Linked to Beds, Income More Than Quality
Supply and demand have more to do with readmission rates over illness severity and care quality, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association’s Quality of Care & Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions. Differences in regional hospitals for heart failure, in fact, have more to do with the number of hospital beds (availability of… Read more »
Busy Hospitals Discharge Patients Too Soon, See Higher Readmissions
Patients that are discharged during the busiest times for hospitals are 50 percent more likely to come back in within three days, according to research published in Health Care Management Science. Two new studies from the University of Maryland suggest that that revenue from surgery is driving patients going home too early. They looked at… Read more »
Doc-Nurse Relationships: A Sore Subject in Sore Need of a Solution
By Alicia Caramenico Fierce Healthcare In a recent Hospital Impact blog post, Jonathan H. Burroughs recalled an instance early in his medical career when he disrespected an inexperienced nurse and drove her to tears. “In my most caustic and superior tone I told her so that everyone could hear, ‘If you don’t know what epinephrine… Read more »