May 30, 2012 by John DeGaspari, Healthcare Informatics The use of social media to engage patients and their caregivers has become a top priority at St. Louis (Mo.) Children’s Hospital, which, according to marketing manager Kay Franks, has helped the organization track its referrals and increased the active participation of patients’ parents and caregivers. … Read more »
Posts Tagged: healthcare
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 »
Will the Healthcare Job Market Remain Strong in 2012?
While the rest of the economy continues to stagnate, it looks like healthcare will be one of the most productive job-creation engines in 2012. Patient and practitioner demographics will combine with healthcare system changes to create healthcare jobs month after month. Healthcare has been a rare bright spot in the job market for the past… Read more »
Despite Declining Hiring Demands, Healthcare Jobs Are Still Hard to Fill
Healthcare professionals have been among the most in-demand this year. But, despite seeing the highest volume of job ads of any occupation in the United States, hiring demand has declined 25% over the past 6 months. In May, employers placed more than 115,000 job ads. In comparison, there were 87,000 ads placed by employers in… Read more »
Healthcare Organizations Urge Congressional Super Committee Members Not to Cut Medicaid and Medicare Funding
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Long Term Care Workers (ULTCW) and a group of partner organizations recently sent an open letter to the members of the Congressional Super Committee working on deficit reduction, calling on Committee members to use their “conscience as their compass” when deliberating solutions to the national debt. SEIU ULTCW’s major… Read more »
Can Mobile Technology Replace Primary Care Physicians?
With growing concerns about a healthcare workforce shortage and rising costs, hospitals and health systems are exploring ways to provide services and keep expenses down. “There is currently, and will remain until about the year 2030, a shortage of health care workers to meet the demand for care. This warrants a change in the delivery… Read more »
High Student Loans Push Doctors from Primary Care Positions
The average college graduate owes about $24,000 in student loans, but a medical school graduate owes up to twelve times as much — about $280,000. With that much debt, many young doctors are choosing to enter more lucrative specialties like dermatology or cardiology over primary care. Why? The numbers add up better. While the average… Read more »
Why Are Local Hospitals Becoming For-Profit – And What Are The Consequences?
Most U.S. hospitals have been run as non-profit organizations for the last 30 years, but there is a new and growing trend toward hospitals becoming for-profit entities. Is this a positive move, or a bad idea? Voices on both sides of the debate have been loud and clear. Those who support the for-profit delivery model… Read more »
Healthcare Jobs Numbers Bounce Back to Pre-Recession Levels
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently released optimistic data that healthcare jobs are bouncing back to 2007 -– pre-recession — numbers, reports the Wall Street Journal blog. The BLS monthly employment report indicated the healthcare industry added 31,300 new jobs in July. During the past year, healthcare employment has grown by 299,000, reports the… Read more »
New Bill Introduced to Improve Patient Care & Curtail Nurse Shortage
This June, Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) introduced legislation that would establish a federal minimum of nurse-to-patient ratios at all hospitals and offer whistleblower protection, giving nurses the right to seek enforcement of staffing standards. Aimed at decreasing mortality rates and preventing medical errors, the legislation would require that hospitals and direct care nurses work together… Read more »