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Editor's Picks
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System being designed to help figure out if patients can pay
File this one under "sure to open a can of worms": Credit industry giant Fair Isaac Corp. is developing a score to help healthcare organizations judge a patient's ability to pay. The score, expected to be unveiled next summer, will enable hospitals to check a patient's medical credit score (based on the patient's medical bill payment history) after the patient is discharged in order to "figure out what sort of relief a hospital should grant the patient." Not surprisingly, consumer advocacy groups fear organizations will check patients' scores before they're admitted. [Read More]
Doctors try open-access system to improve care, morale
The term "primary care" usually brings to mind long waits for appointments, rushed visits, and, often, unhappy patients. Under a new model of patient-centered care, however, practices are implementing "open access" hours in which doctors keep half of their daily appointments open for last-minute patients. The initiative, supported by the American Academy of Family Physicians, is being tested in 500 practices around the country in an effort to learn the best methods for implementation as well as to determine the financial impact of the changes. Early feedback has both docs and patients raving. [Read More]
Keeping patients from landing back in hospitals
There are about 5 million readmissions a year in U.S. hospitals--a third of which happen within 90 days of discharge, says the IHI. In an attempt to decrease these unplanned readmissions (which drive up costs for hospitals), hospitals and health plans alike are experimenting with better discharge planning and home-care services. A number of organizations (including our Top Leadership Teams panelist Crouse Hospital in Syracuse) are finding success with "transitional care" programs, which help older patients transition out of the hospital. [Read More]
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This Week's Headlines
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Bush vetoes kids health insurance bill
AP/Yahoo News - December 13, 2007
Limits weighed on physician-owned hospitals
Washington Post - December 10, 2007
Nation's hospital bill jumped 7 percent in 2005
Wall Street Journal (subscription required) - December 13, 2007
UnitedHealth billing flaws persisted as company grew
Minneapolis Star Tribune - December 10, 2007
Survey: Insurance companies impede patient care
Houston Chronicle - December 7, 2007
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Audio Feature
Growing Leaders From Within: Harvard Business School Professor Joseph Bower, is a leadership expert and author of The CEO Within: Why Inside Outsiders Are the Key to Succession Planning. In this interview, Professor Bower discusses succession planning and why growing leaders from within makes for smarter business. [Listen Now] | |
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