6 Points on What the GOP Platform Holds for Healthcare

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Written by Molly Gamble | August 29, 2012 , Becker’s Hospital Review The Republican Party adopted its official platform yesterday at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., promising to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and replace it with more consumer-oriented policies. Here are six main points of the GOP’s official platform related… Read more »

9 Ways Hospitals Should Prepare for HIPAA Audits

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Written by Kathleen Roney | August 30, 2012 , Becker’s Hospital Review As part of its health information privacy and security compliance program, the Office of Civil Rights began piloting the HIPAA Privacy & Security Audit Program in November to ensure covered entities and business associates are compliant with HIPAA privacy and security rules and breach… Read more »

6 Stories on Using Lean as a Hospital Strategy

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Written by Sabrina Rodak | August 29, 2012 , Becker’s Hospital Review Here are six stories about hospitals using Lean process improvement as a strategy for success. 1. Hospitals are recruiting Lean leaders from the manufacturing industry to guide Lean initiatives. Hospitals need to ensure, however, that these Lean leaders can transition smoothly between the two… Read more »

Healthcare industry suffering “institutional schizophrenia” as business model shifts

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August 28, 2012 10:52 am by Arundhati Parmar, MedCity News A new survey of healthcare providers, plans and pharmaceutical companies reveals that these institutions have internally contradictory approaches in managing the changes wrought by healthcare reform, especially as it relates to the shift from fee-for-service to a more value-based system. For instance, when healthcare providers… Read more »

Affordable Care Act driving health care mergers

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By Catherine Ho, Published: August 26 The Washington Post   Two of the region’s corporate giants — one focused on government health insurance, the other specializing in communities for seniors — were acquired by larger industry players last week, as consolidation heats up in health-related sectors. Insurance giant Aetna announced it will buy Bethesda-based Coventry Health… Read more »

Ideas Into Action: 3 Hospital CEOs Talk Strategy Going Into 2013

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Written by Bob Herman | August 22, 2012 , Becker’s Hospital Review A popular quote from the teachings of Buddhism says that, “An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.” Ideas are great to have, especially in today’s evolving healthcare environment, but they… Read more »

HHS Finalizes One-Year Delay of ICD-10 to 2014

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Written by Bob Herman | August 24, 2012 , Becker’s Hospital Review Today, HHS issued a final rule (pdf) that officially changes the compliance date of ICD-10 from Oct. 1, 2013, to Oct. 1, 2014. In April, HHS proposed to delay the ICD-10 compliance date to Oct. 1, 2014, and it stayed with that option because… Read more »

6 Highlights From CMS’ Final Stage 2 Meaningful Use Rule

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Written by Kathleen Roney | August 24, 2012 , Becker’s Hospital Review CMS has released the final rule (pdf) for the second stage of the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Program. The stage 2 rule includes the criteria eligible professionals, eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals must meet in order to qualify for incentive… Read more »

Rural Hospitals: IOM Medicare Cuts Would Be “Devasting”

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August 20, 2012 | By Alicia Caramenico, Fierce Healthcare   The Institute of Medicine’s recent proposals to cut federal reimbursements would hit rural hospitals hardest, The Times-Standard reported. Healthcare leaders in rural areas of California, in particular, are worried about the institute’s recommendations, which would cut Medicare payments to the state’s hospitals by an average… Read more »

The New Competitive Edge for Hospitals and ACOs: Employee Health

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Written by Molly Gamble | August 20, 2012 , Becker’s Hospital Review It seems like a logical pairing for hospitals to aggressively manage employee health. Hospitals are communities’ anchors of well-being, after all. With the rise of value-based care models such as patient-centered medical homes and accountable care organizations, many hospitals have the resources necessary to… Read more »