October 24, 2013 | By Alicia Caramenico, Fierce Healthcare Many organizations are looking to the nurse workforce to help close the primary care gap and meet the rising demand for healthcare services. But maybe we should consult nurses before relying on them to solve the problem of a growing shortage of physicians and the growing… Read more »

by Deepak Malhotra and Manu Malhotra  |   12:00 PM October 21, 2013, Harvard Business Review A 54-year-old man presents to the Emergency Department (ED) with crushing chest pain and is found to have an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (heart attack). The patient needs a heart catheterization with likely stent placement, but he insists on leaving the ED…. Read more »

By Christopher J. Gearon, U.S. News & World Report, October 16, 2013 A few years ago, hospital leaders like William Leaver were hiring radiologists, cardiologists and other specialists to maximize fee-for-service payments. Today, the CEO of Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Healthcare seeks patient navigators, care coordinators and mid-level nurse practitioners to guide patients’ care outside… Read more »

By Sandra G. Boodman | Kaiser Health News, Published: October 7 A 58-year-old Maryland woman breaks her ankle, develops a blood clot and, unable to find a doctor to monitor her blood-thinning drug, winds up in an emergency room 30 times in six months. A 55-year-old Mississippi man with severe hypertension and kidney disease is repeatedly… Read more »

October 2, 2013 | By Alicia Caramenico Various hospitals groups have expressed disappointment with Congress for not reaching an agreement on funding for healthcare reform and are concerned about how the government shutdown will affect care. With disrupted National Institutes of Health funding to support medical research and discontinued payments for physician training at children’s hospitals,… Read more »

October 13, 2013 | By Julie Bird, Fierce Healthcare The Affordable Care act will reduce the number of Medicare patients being hospitalized, saving the federal government money, a study published in the October issue of Health Affairs concludes. What’s uncertain is how lower utilization will affect care quality, say the researchers, who note the “implications… Read more »

Written by Helen Adamopoulos, Beckers Hospital Review, October 11, 2013 As hospitals and health systems move from fee-for-service reimbursement to value-based payments, various obstacles and challenges can stand in the way of a successful transition. A recent Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report authored by consulting firm Bailit Health Purchasing identified numerous challenges organizations can face during… Read more »

Written by Bob Herman, October 14, 2013 As the health insurance exchanges continue to ramp up enrollment of newly insured Americans, the uncertainties surrounding exchange plan reimbursement are likely to increase pressure on the revenues of nonprofit hospitals, according to a report from Moody’s Investors Service. The exchanges went live about two weeks ago, despite the… Read more »

Written by Heather Punke,  September 06, 2013, Becker’s Hospital Review Patient experience has always been an important metric for hospitals and health systems because of its impact on patient outcomes. “Higher patient satisfaction and experience leads to healthier and more engaged patients,” says Brian Johnston, a partner in Stanton Chase International’s Nashville, Tenn., office and leader… Read more »

Written by Bob Herman, October 01, 2013, Becker’s Hospital Review The dance between House Republicans and the Senate to complete a budget came to an unfruitful end last night, resulting in the first shutdown of the federal government in the past 17 years. House Republicans made repeated attempts to defund, and then alter or delay… Read more »