HealthLeadersMedia.com - Editor Columns

Leading Change is Tough from the Back of a Limo

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:33:00 GMT

As a senior leader, you can be bold and visionary, you can make huge investments, and you can even remake your hospital as an accountable care organization. But none of it will work if your colleagues don't trust you.

CMS Reveals Central Line Infection Rates, Finally

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:51:00 GMT

For the first time, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has added to its Hospital Compare website the rates of central line-associated bloodstream infections, or CLABSIs, for specific hospital intensive care units.

5010 Logjam Means No Pay for Physicians

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:26:00 GMT

Physicians are flooding their advocacy groups with complaints about cash flow problems as they seek deadline delays for a mandatory transition toward HIPAA 5010 electronic transactions.

Marketing Health Coach Services

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:27:00 GMT

A growing number of healthcare organizations are employing health coaches for patients, particularly those with chronic conditions. This trend can put patients at ease, increase the continuity of care, improve outcomes, and encourage consumer loyalty.

Commonwealth Fund to Study Access to Healthcare

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

An effort to track low- and moderate-income adults to see how they fare under the Affordable Care Act may offer glimpses as to whether it is accomplishing its goals, or whether it's just another behemoth government program.

Payment Cuts to Critical Access Hospitals 'Inevitable'

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:54:00 GMT

Many rural hospital leaders lack contingency plans for what one expert in healthcare strategy calls an inevitability—Medicare critical access funding cuts within the next three years.

What If Your Car Cared About Your Health?

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:18:00 GMT

Will Ford's plan to install health monitoring devices and interfaces in its cars work? Healthcare professionals know how difficult it is to get patients to monitor their health. But this is just the start of a lot of industries imagining how they can gather, use, and communicate health and wellness data back to the consumer.

Designing a Hospital? Ask Nurses First

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:48:00 GMT

Hospitals are increasingly involving nurses in facility design, consulting on everything from the size of patient rooms to the art that hangs on the walls. This not only helps improve patient care; it can also improve staff morale and employee satisfaction.

2 Tactics for ICD-10 & VBP Clinical Documentation

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:24:00 GMT

Clinical documentation is on the mind of every healthcare leader. How accurately a patient's hospital visit is documented will affect value-based purchasing incentive payments and whether reimbursements dip, grow, or stay the same during the ICD-10 transition. To do it right, ease in ICD-10 codes now and beef up your clinical documentation integrity.

CIO of the Year, Rick Schooler, on HIT

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:39:00 GMT

The award-winning chief information officer of Orlando Health discusses the legacy of health information technology and its prospects over the next decade.

Will Paying Hospitals to Teach Each Other Get Results?

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:20:00 GMT

The Department of Health and Human Services believes that best practices, techniques, and solutions for obtaining higher levels of quality and safety among hospitals should be widely distributed. Ascension Health is in the vanguard, sharing what it knows about achieving clinical excellence.

Convincing Rival Docs to Become Partners

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:19:00 GMT

To organize teams of erstwhile rivals, health system leaders must manage egos, negotiate ambitions, and acknowledge that they may be bringing on board some professionals who can't stand one another.

Hospitals Urged to Track Quality in Obstetrics

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:58:00 GMT

Evidence is accumulating about the potential for significant harm to babies born just a few weeks too soon, including neurodevelopmental problems and rates of disability. And it's not just about the risks. Early births add $1 billion to healthcare costs, a study shows.

OK Hospital vs. Garth Brooks: Guess Who Won?

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:34:00 GMT

Integris Canadian Valley Regional Hospital in Yukon, OK waged a public legal battle against a deep-pocketed music legend trying to honor the memory of his mother. The ill will could—and should—have been avoided.

Patient Loyalty Programs Show Their True Value

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:49:00 GMT

Loyalty programs and perks originated with retailers, but hospitals are using them to target specific populations, give potential patients more familiarity with their facilities, and possibly even improve medical outcomes.

Healthcare Reform an Insider's Game Now

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:59:00 GMT

In this election year, the complexity of delivering quality care at a lower cost has been reduced to tightly controlled messaging by the President and his opponents. Insiders, however, have their eyes firmly set on Big Ideas.

To Contain Hospital Costs, Leaders Must Look to IT

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:07:00 GMT

With the need to control costs a top concern among hospital executives, technology is the only means by which healthcare systems can make it out of their current impasse.

Stop Requiring Nurses to Work Overtime

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:54:00 GMT

Mandatory overtime is "repugnant to most nurses" says a nursing educator. Fatigue, job dissatisfaction, and high turnover rates are just a few of the consequences.

Unlikely Pairings Ahead for 2012 Healthcare M&A

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:03:00 GMT

Merger and acquisition activity will continue in 2012, but some of the pairings could be unlikely. Look for geographic focus, hospital acquisitions of physician practices, and other targeted strategic deals.

LHA Launches Statewide Employee Wellness Campaign

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:54:00 GMT

The CEO of the Louisiana Hospital Association wants healthcare workers to be role models in an effort to get residents of the fifth-fattest state to take personal responsibility for improving and maintaining their health.