Readmissions Linked to Beds, Income More Than Quality

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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

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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

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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 »

Transform Your Employees into Passionate Advocates

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By Rob Markey Harvard Business Review Employee happiness is becoming a hot topic among CEOs and in boardrooms, and it’s about time. The current issue of Harvard Business Review, which includes a series of articles focused on employee happiness, is just one more sign of the growing recognition that happy, engaged employees are more productive… Read more »

3 reimbursement changes for hospital performance

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Hospitals are bracing themselves for some significant reimbursement changes under health reform that could hit their pocketbooks. The American Hospital Association (AHA) outlined top issues in its 2012 advocacy papers, including how hospitals will be measured for performance this year and beyond. Value-based purchasing (VBP) – October 2012 Medicare will launch the hospital VBP program,… Read more »

How Hospitals Can Save Water and Big Bucks Too

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John Commins, for HealthLeaders Media, April 23, 2012   It may seem odd that a leading proponent for water conservation in hospitals works in Washington, a state famous for its prodigious rainfall. For more than a decade, Geoffrey W. Glass, director of Facility and Technology Services at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, has been… Read more »

Healthcare Reform – What It Could Mean for Hospitals

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Since President Obama signed the healthcare reform bill into law in March 2010, medical professionals and organizations have been wondering: “how will this bill affect us?” Will the changes in hospitals be for better or for worse? The jury is still out, but there is no doubt that most hospitals will face major financial and… Read more »