John Toussaint January 05, 2009 When I talk with area business people, the conversation inevitably turns to the cost of healthcare. It’s clear that employers are desperate to find ways to reduce the cost of buying healthcare for their employees. ... FULL STORY
Jeffrey Driver December 15, 2008 One of the chief financial goals of the healthcare industry is to reduce insurance and claims-related costs. The industry is paying much more in malpractice premiums today than five years ago and, although the number of annual claims has decreased, the average dollar amount of each claim has increased—from 2006 to 2007, per-claim payouts rose between 7% and 9.5%. ... FULL STORY
Neil Bertrand December 01, 2008 The bad-debt history at Longmont (Colo.) United Hospital is one of perpetual growth. Since 2001, bad debt has grown from $4.1 million to $15.5 million for 2008. This is almost a 300% increase in just seven years. In the past year, bad debt has grown by 25%. Such a rapid progression is unsustainable for any organization regardless of industry. ... FULL STORY
Steven Altschuler November 17, 2008 The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has delivered stellar clinical and financial performance for many years and has been widely recognized as one of the premier pediatric healthcare institutions in the country, recently earning its sixth No. 1 ranking in US News & World Report’s annual evaluation of pediatric hospitals. ... FULL STORY
James Levett November 03, 2008 U.S. healthcare spending will approach $2.4 trillion this year, approximately 18% of the gross domestic product. The topic remains at the forefront of the current political debate about the economy, particularly because costs continue to increase, and there is no concrete plan to increase efficiency and reduce waste. Healthcare institutions at all levels are seeking solutions to assist them in developing quality programs and making process improvements. ... FULL STORY
Robert Meyer October 20, 2008 In these tough economic times, it’s easy for any chief executive officer to lose sleep about the state of our nation’s economy and its effect on our respective organizations. Believe me, I know. I’ve been through five recessions working in the healthcare industry, and it’s certainly no picnic. ... FULL STORY
Bob Page October 06, 2008 It is tremendously exciting to transform a struggling hospital to one that can boast high quality, national respect and financial stability. But a dramatic turnaround in hospital operations is not a sprint to a finish line. It is an ongoing marathon that tests the commitment of any organization. ... FULL STORY
Wally Winkler September 29, 2008 As the chief financial officer of a “tweener hospital”—too large to qualify for critical-access hospital status but too small to receive adequate Medicare payment, I am well-aware of what it means to care for every patient, regardless of their ability to pay. More than 70% of Keokuk (Iowa) Area Hospital’s patient population is either indigent or on Medicare or Medicaid. ... FULL STORY
Scott Joslyn September 08, 2008 Why would an organization already challenged by the rollout of an electronic health record simultaneously get involved with a new regional health information organization? It might not, at least at first. EHR installations are daunting, and organizations generally focus on adoption by clinicians, reliable operation and obtaining benefits before they worry about health information organization, or HIO. Moreover, data exchange probably represents a secondary use of the EHR for most organizations. ... FULL STORY
Louis Shapiro August 25, 2008 During the past several years, specialty hospitals have been getting a lot of attention in the media, not much of it positive. The staunchest critics point to potential conflicts of interest involving physician ownership and the complaints surrounding the types of cases these hospitals accept. ... FULL STORY
Ralph Lawson August 11, 2008 Last October, I had the privilege of testifying before the Senate Finance Committee on behalf of the Healthcare Financial Management Association and Baptist Health South Florida on proposed charity-care standards for tax-exempt hospitals. ... FULL STORY
David Hefner and Kathryn Hastings July 28, 2008 Academic health centers, or AHCs, are complex organizations with multiple—and sometimes competing—goals and missions. The challenge for any AHC leader is to find the synergies that unify all stakeholders around common performance goals. An incentive compensation program can be a useful tool in aligning and galvanizing leadership to achieve unifying performance goals. ... FULL STORY
Bruce Bodaken July 14, 2008 Are Harry and Louise lurking in the pantry again, ready to derail federal health reform like they did in 1994? Not necessarily. Recent state health reform efforts indicate a changing dynamic in which health plans could become a valuable ally of coverage-expansion advocates. ... FULL STORY
Susan Lacey, Karen Cox and Randall O’Donnell June 30, 2008 Imagine flying in a snowstorm with precious cargo that is worth literally millions of dollars. In addition, your instruments have failed and are providing no data from which you could navigate to safety—in essence, you are flying blind. By and large, this is what hospitals are about to begin doing when the new CMS rule takes effect in October linking nurse-sensitive patient outcomes or “never events” with reimbursement. ... FULL STORY
Kathy Warye June 16, 2008 Within the past decade, healthcare-associated infections have become a critical issue for American hospitals. Consumer groups and the media have elevated these infections to something of a cause celebre—a fact that has created state and federal legislative pressure. Currently, 27 states require some type of public reporting of these infections, and pending federal legislation would also require public disclosure of infection rates. ... FULL STORY
Michael Soman June 02, 2008 Good primary care produces better outcomes at lower costs. Yet in spite of research affirming the value of primary care, its foundation is crumbling: Fewer physicians are choosing primary-care residencies, reimbursement remains flat, and patient needs are soaring in volume and complexity. While fixes won’t be simple, a handful of ideas are rising consistently to the forefront. Among the most promising—and one we are achieving exciting results with at Group Health Cooperative, based in Seattle —is the medical home. ... FULL STORY
Gail Donovan May 19, 2008 Never before have the communities we serve been as culturally diverse as they are today. Nor have we ever employed such an equally multicultural workforce. That is why my organization felt it was critical to adapt to these changes—particularly if we are to remain competitive in our marketplace. ... FULL STORY
Chris Van Gorder May 05, 2008 On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, after the World Trade Center attack, I raced to the office to meet with senior staff to review our disaster plans and monitor the events in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Even though we were 3,000 miles away in San Diego, we knew that we needed to review our preparedness and analyze what we might be able to do to help our colleagues on the East Coast. I asked Brent Eastman, our chief medical officer, a rhetorical question: “Are we prepared?” The question was rhetorical because we both knew the answer—“No.” ... FULL STORY
John Bosco April 21, 2008 As part of its mission to improve the health and quality of life for the people and communities it serves, the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System is implementing an integrated clinical information system across its 15 hospitals. The new system will help drive clinical and operational excellence with a focus on patient safety, quality and efficiency. It’s a great investment that will benefit our community, physicians, nurses and the rest of our staff. ... FULL STORY
Karen Ignagni April 07, 2008 A report published in the New England Journal of Medicine a few years ago should have been a wake-up call for every healthcare policymaker. An exhaustive analysis of medical records by RAND Corp. researchers found that patients get the right care—that is, treatments that are consistent with best practices—on average only 55% of the time. ... FULL STORY
