Guest Commentaries

For a long time, many of us healthcare professionals have operated largely within our own comfort zones. We do just as we've always done, acting independently of each other, as if in our own private universe. We saw little incentive to change, least of all soon. That's happening less often now, thanks mostly to pressures for healthcare reform from the federal government and private sector alike. But our approach to caring for patients remains fragmented. We're still going to have to break free of those comfort zones.
FULL STORY »

Four key reforms to expand insurance coverage were intended to fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle; in reality, they fit like pieces from four different jigsaw puzzles.
FULL STORY »

In 1989, the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act mandated use of the resource-based relative value scale methodology for physician payments under Medicare Part B. It's time for review.
FULL STORY »

When addressing healthcare workplace safety concerns, most executives immediately think about hospital safety. They rarely think about one of the most hazardous professions in healthcare—the home healthcare aide.
FULL STORY »

If you believe the critical battles over implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) are being fought among politicians, you're wrong. The real fight is taking place in doctors' lounges at hospitals across the country. The outcome will determine the future quality of healthcare in the U.S. because it will define for the next generation the very essence of what it means to be a physician.
FULL STORY »

Since writing a cancer memoir in 2000, I've given talks at more than 150 hospitals and oncology clinics. I learned that many centers and clinics invest far more in their coffee stations, light airy infusion rooms and brochures than on the basics that make a difference to patients.If cancer centers truly want to improve the patient experience, here are 17 questions clinic managers might want to ask themselves:
FULL STORY »

Across the country, workplace wellness programs are making Americans healthier, paying quality-of-life dividends for millions of participating workers now and into the future. Employers are screening workers for diseases, paying for health club memberships and providing incentives to encourage healthier lifestyle choices.This is a good thing. But it's just not good for the reason many employers and lots of other people think it is.
FULL STORY »

As the healthcare industry prepares for the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known affectionately or derisively as “Obamacare,” the issues that preoccupy top hospital and system managers range from cost-cutting to increased paperwork and perhaps most importantly, maintaining patient satisfaction and excellent care during an era of diminishing resources.
FULL STORY »

From industry media to your hometown newspaper, news about the push for transparency in healthcare pricing is hard to miss these days.
FULL STORY »

In comparison to nearly every other type of commercial aviation, there is an inordinate rate of accidents within medical helicopter aviation.
FULL STORY »

Recent findings from the Oregon Health Study have resulted in headlines intended as a warning for next January's planned expansion of the Medicaid program (as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act): “Bad news for Obamacare: A new study suggests universal healthcare makes people happier but not healthier” “Oregon study throws a stop sign in front of Obamacare's Medicaid expansion” “Giving people government health insurance may not make them any healthier”Overall,...
FULL STORY »

Since the early 1980s, federal dietary guidelines have urged Americans to eat more nutrient-rich foods and cut back on fatty foods and highly processed “empty calorie” snacks such as cookies and chips. But those pleas have fallen on deaf ears. It's time to start thinking differently about how to encourage Americans to make smarter food choices—and a fine place to start would be cutting the costs of healthy foods in our supermarket aisles.
FULL STORY »

Deepening engagement among patients, families, physicians and providers will produce higher-quality health results and lead the way to answering the question: “What is best for the patient?”Our healthcare world is rapidly evolving. Among those changes is a cultural one that affects those who provide care and the people who receive it. When I began my medical career, patients rarely questioned their doctor's recommendations or gave their own opinions. Conversely, doctors did not want their patient's opinion and seldom were concerned about the patient's world outside of the medical...
FULL STORY »

We have done it. We have decreased the increase in the cost of healthcare. Let us explain. For three decades (1980–2009), the cost of healthcare has been increasing each year at an average rate of 7.4%—double the rate of inflation. However, over the past three years, the increase in healthcare expenditures has remained at a low 3.1%.Is this decline the desperately needed bend in the healthcare cost curve or just the impact of the depressed economy?
FULL STORY »

One of the most disturbing challenges faced by American healthcare is the enormous geographic variability in both access and quality. We are one nation, and no matter which state we live in, we are all Americans. But (to paraphrase Bono) where we live actually determines if we live.A poor person living in Massachusetts is more likely to have access to health insurance and healthcare than one who lives in Texas. Given what we know about the relationship of healthcare and health, this means that a poor resident of Texas faces the possibility of a less healthy, shorter life.
FULL STORY »

Democrats and Republicans are sharply divided over how best to improve Medicare, a program that covers nearly 50 million Americans and that will spend almost $600 billion this year.
FULL STORY »

Springtime in Washington brings the annual federal budget ritual. This year, President Barack Obama's budget for 2014 included a proposal to increase Medicare premiums for higher-income seniors. Other ideas to sustain Medicare are cross-pollinating across the political aisle. Both Republicans and Democrats have discussed raising the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67. Whatever the White House and Congress decide, Americans need to be prepared for sticker shock when they enroll in Medicare.
FULL STORY »

"Of all the transformations reshaping American healthcare, none is more profound than the shift toward value.”
FULL STORY »

Every hospital and healthcare facility has some variation of this sign: “It's the law. Be careful not to discuss patients in public.” Like World War II posters warning that “Loose lips sink ships,” these notices stress that information falling into the wrong hands can lead to disaster. Staff training that emphasizes the punitive consequences of improper disclosures of protected health information reinforces this caution.
FULL STORY »

People's lives today are full of choices. They know what they like. They know what matters to them. They trust their judgment and check with their gut. But when it comes to choices related to their health, they could use a little help. There's nothing quite as personal and important to patients as their health. However, they are not experts in navigating the healthcare maze. While there is no shortage of ideas and advice, it's often confusing. They are looking for the best care possible, and need help with the questions as much as the answers.
FULL STORY »

Half of all adult Americans are expected to be obese by 2030, and already more than 40 million adults do not meet appropriate physical activity levels. The challenge of addressing obesity and physical inactivity requires new thinking and monitoring by healthcare providers.Intermountain Healthcare in Utah and Idaho has recently implemented both. It added a new “Physical Activity Vital Sign” to its electronic medical records. This simple tool is designed to nudge patients toward better health while encouraging providers to offer better care at lower cost.
FULL STORY »

Here's another reason for states to expand Medicaid: preventing crime by mentally ill offenders. In the wake of the Newtown tragedy, many Americans wonder how we might do a better job preventing violence by disturbed, violent offenders. This is a huge challenge because it is almost impossible to predict that a specific individual will commit a mass atrocity.
FULL STORY »

Desperate after a decade of trial and error to make the connection that could usher in a new generation of anti-HIV drugs, University of Washington researchers threw the scientific version of a Hail Mary pass.
FULL STORY »

Henry Ford once said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”I like to interpret Ford's use of the word “young” to mean “relevant and innovative.” Being relevant and innovative in our industry is an absolute must, and that is why the American College of Healthcare Executives is committed to educating all of its members—leaders in healthcare management—in a variety of topics and venues.
FULL STORY »

As the 2013 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition opens in New Orleans on March 3, I think of HIMSS07, our last conference in the city, less than two years after Hurricane Katrina.
FULL STORY »