When officials of ThedaCare, a four-hospital network in east central Wisconsin, tried to expand its reach to small dairy farm families in rural Shawano County, they realized the problem was much bigger, and tougher, than they thought. [Read More]
April 15, 2009
Editor's Picks
CMS Names 14 Communities for Hospital Readmissions Project Reducing potentially costly readmissions in 14 key cities is the goal of a three-year pilot project to eliminate unnecessary hospital readmissions that cost Medicare billions of dollars annually in preventable care. The project seeks to make patients and caregivers team up to assure that patients are discharged only when they are ready to be sent home, to a skilled facility, or home healthcare environment. According to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine, one in five Medicare patients in 2003-2004 were back in the hospital within 30 days of discharge, and 34% within 90 days, at a cost of $17.4 billion. [Read More] Hospitals merge design and building to cut costs One New York State hospital system hopes to cut costs by one-third by having the same company design and build its new facility. Orange Regional Medical Center in Middletown chose a construction company that uses the design-build method in which the architect and general contractor are from the same company. [Read More] As medical charts go electronic, rural doctor sees healthy change A Plainville, KS, family doctor sees efficiency and more time for her patients after switching her 3,000 patients from paper medical records to electronic ones. But Jennifer Brull, MD, is in the minority, according to an American Academy of Family Physicians survey, which said only 42% have adopted electronic medical records, largely because of the expense. But the rewards outweigh all that, Brull believes. Brull's patients are much happier with the change, because now they don't have to wait as long and have more confidence their records are accurate and complete. [Read More] Are You Part of a Top Leadership Team? HealthLeaders Media is gearing up for its fifth year of the Top Leadership Teams in Healthcare program that recognizes the best in senior leadership teamwork at hospitals, health plans, and medical group practices. This year's winners will be honored during HealthLeaders Media '09: The Hospital of the Future Now, an event planned for October 15-16 at The Palmer House in Chicago. If you and your organization have an outstanding teamwork story to share, go to the Top Leadership Teams site to learn more about the six categories, download an entry form, and submit your entry. The deadline to submit is April 30. [Learn More]
The cardiovascular service line remains a dependable revenue generator for many hospitals across the country. But a shifting market full of new options for patients means organizations must find ways to differentiate themselves to keep it that way. [Read More]
