Influential healthcare leaders set principles for patient-centered care
“When the Valley Hospital in New Jersey started to think seriously about putting its customers at the center of all that it did, patient volunteers were brought in on discussions about workflow, how patient forms should be designed and nearly everything else that came to mind. Pamela Bell, director of patient family-centered care at the ...Read More
As telemedicine takes root, there’s a growing need to train physicians on how to handle virtual visits with patients and develop a good ‘webside manner’
“When Kaiser Permanente’s emergency room wait times began rising three years ago, Dr. Dennis Truong and a colleague launched a telemedicine program to provide faster access to care for their patients. At the time, there weren’t many training programs for telemedicine or for developing good “webside” manner, which can greatly improve patients’ adherence to treatment. ...Read More
What to know about Medicare’s big bundled-payment expansion
“A new mandatory program the CMS proposed Monday would make hospitals in 98 markets financially accountable for the cost and quality of all care associated with bypass surgery and heart attacks. “We think it’s important to keep pushing forward on delivery system reform,” Dr. Patrick Conway, acting principal deputy administrator and chief medical officer for ...Read More
4 ways hospitals tackle physician burnout
“Burnout is a persistent problem in the healthcare field, but doctors say hospitals haven’t done enough to address the issue. Now, however, some organizations are finally taking action. Physicians are especially susceptible to burnout due to the expectation that they promote a “myth of invulnerability,” according to Modern Medicine Network. This starts during the education process, according to ...Read More
Salaries fall for nurses and executives while doctors and health IT pros pay rises
“Healthcare executives saw salaries decrease during the last year, even though pay for doctors and physician assistants rose. The good news for healthcare IT professionals? Their salaries also expanded…” Read full article
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services adjusts payment policies for inpatient rehab, skilled nursing and hospice
“The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced a number of payment and policy changes last week, addressing Medicare inpatient rehabilitation facilities, hospice benefit and skilled nursing facilities. CMS is updating the inpatient rehab facilities prospective payment system payments for fiscal year 2017 to reflect an estimated 1.65 percent increase factor. That’s based on an IRF-specific ...Read More
Doctor devises new database methodology to thwart hackers and end big data breaches
“Longtime healthcare and technology veteran William Yasnoff, MD, has created a personal grid tactic for tuning relational databases to make it harder for hackers to steal large sets of medical records…” Read full article.
Justice Department Moves To Block 2 Big Health Insurance Mergers
“The Justice Department is suing to block two proposed mergers between major health insurance companies, saying the deals violate antitrust laws and would lead to higher health care costs for Americans…” Read full article.
Competition for new docs pushing pay higher
“In some parts of the country, you have to get up early to recruit an orthopedic surgeon—at least 18 to 24 months early. Michael Patterson, CEO of Mississippi Valley Surgery Center in Davenport, Iowa, began recruiting the latest addition to his orthopedic practice while he was still in residency. The new recruit still had a ...Read More
THE METRICS THAT MATTER MOST IN RECRUITING AND RETAINING TOP TALENT
“Recruiting can be a lot like dating. In both scenarios, a lot of variables go into finding “the one.” How much time are you willing to devote to the search? Where can you go to meet the right candidate? How much money are you willing to spend to woo that special someone? But which of ...Read More
HHS funds to help small practices prepare for the MACRA Quality Payment Program
“The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced an initiative June 20 to fund small practices preparing for the Quality Payment Program. The $20 million funding will support on-the-ground training and education for Medicare clinicians in both individual and small group practices of 15 clinicians or fewer – especially in historically under-resourced areas including ...Read More
Limited supply of primary-care docs sparks competition among healthcare providers
“Federally qualified health centers that serve mostly poor and low-income families in distressed or rural communities have always had a tough time recruiting physicians. And now, it’s getting even harder…” Read full article.