Conducting secondary market research is a lot easier than it was 15 years ago, thanks to the Internet. But is it necessarily better? The seemingly bottomless pit of content that makes up today's Web poses some distinct challenges to marketers looking for precise, credible facts on which to build a strategy.
When it came time to buy a house, my husband and I were lured to the outskirts of town where houses offer bigger yards at more affordable prices than in the city. The 30- to 40-minute commute to work, while not ideal, seemed tolerable. But now, with gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon, our pocketbook is taking a hit. Fortunately, I can occasionally work from home, if needed—but the same cannot be said for hospital physicians, nurses, technicians, and housekeeping staff. They can't perform surgery, clean hospital rooms, or take patient x-rays from home.
It used to be that clinicians didn't mind traveling to work at their hospital of choice. Last year, I heard a community hospital CEO talk about their strategy to engage staff and eliminate low performers. They revamped their hiring practices and developed employee retention initiatives, and were so successful that 40% of their employees actually lived closer to another hospital but chose to work at their facility. Sounds great, but I wonder how long that will last if gas prices continue to rise.
There's no question that higher fuel costs are negatively impacting the home health industry. Patients who live in remote areas may soon be hard-pressed to find a healthcare provider willing to travel to them, and some home healthcare workers are considering leaving the industry altogether. Similarly, hospitals are facing higher medical supply costs. A box of 100 latex gloves cost about $2.70 a couple of years ago. Today, the cost is $3.50 to $3.80 (oil is used to manufacture the gloves).
So where's the silver lining? Your employees and suppliers are not the only ones struggling to cope with higher gas prices. Members of the community are struggling, as well. And many, like me, are opting to shop at stores closer to home. This goes for healthcare services, as well. Community hospitals may start seeing an influx of patients who used to travel to larger hospitals farther away now choosing to stay closer to home for routine procedures. This is a great opportunity for community hospitals to demonstrate the personalized service and high-quality care that they can offer.
But to keep these patients (many of whom may have private health insurance) coming back, your facility needs to make a good first impression. Healthcare is one of those services that people will pay more for or travel a few extra miles to, if they believe that they are getting higher quality service. So what kind of first impression will your hospital make?
While new technology is great, you don't necessarily need a 64-slice CT scanner or a computerized physician order entry system to leave a good first impression. Nor do you need the waterfall wall or healing garden. Yes, these amenities are nice, and patients will probably come away thinking that facility was "really cutting edge and beautiful." But there are some more affordable options to ensure that patients leave feeling like they had a high-quality encounter.
Make sure your hospital staff and clinicians treat patients with genuine compassion, not a fake sense of concern. Ensure that employees' appearance is professional and clean—that goes for the physical plant, as well. I know not every hospital has the budget to upgrade waiting rooms or the emergency room with a new interior, but some inexpensive fixes can have a big impact. Try rearranging the furniture in the waiting room, adding new artwork to the walls, or establishing an area for children. And above all, make sure it is clean. Remember, patients spend a lot of time in these areas and can often zero in on all of the flaws. Dirty walls or dusty window sills will speak volumes about your hospital and its commitment to safe, quality care.
Carrie Vaughan is editor of HealthLeaders Media Community and Rural Hospital Weekly. She can be reached at cvaughan@healthleadersmedia.com.
Many health plans protect against HIPAA violations by training their staffs, but with employee turnover and human error in play, how can a health plan defend itself and keep its members' information private?
Here are two ways: develop technology-driven processes and emulate Microsoft and Google.
Many health plans are surely reviewing their processes in the wake of the news that Seattle-based Providence Health & Services agreed to pay $100,000 and implement a detailed corrective action plan after losing electronic backup media and laptop computers containing identifiable health information for more than 386,000 patients in 2005 and 2006. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) received more than 30 complaints about the security breach of the nonprofit health system that includes a health plans, hospitals, and clinics.
The theft potentially violated the law's Privacy and Security Rules, which require covered entities—such as health plans, healthcare clearinghouses, and most healthcare providers—to safeguard health information.
The case shows the difficult nature of protecting member health information. In order to protect your company against HIPAA violations, HHS offers these suggested actions. There is also a compliance checklist.
As the Providence case shows, however, training staff on policies and procedures is sometimes not enough. Michael Dermer, president and CEO of Lyndhurst, NJ-based IncentOne, a healthcare technology company that specializes in incentive platforms, says HIPAA protections need to go beyond training. He says health plans should set up technology-driven checks and balances so employees are constantly reminded of HIPAA regulations. Dermer says health plans are already using technology-driven processes in the areas of e-prescribing and nurse call centers.
Dermer says health plans have been proactive in adhering to HIPAA privacy rules, but could go a step further by challenging third parties and vendors to assist plans with technology compliance. He points to the fact that financial institutions spend a higher percentage of their revenue on technology than health plans.
One of the leading issues in the healthcare technology realm is the entrance of Microsoft and Google into the personal health record market this year.
David C. Kibbe, MD, MBA, principal of The Kibbe Group, LLC, in Pittsboro, N.C., and senior advisor for the Center for Health Information Technology at American Academy of Family Physicians, says the technological giants aren't covered under HIPAA law, but have created protections that go beyond the regulations.
"We have Microsoft and Google publishing privacy practices and privacy policies that are as strong or stronger than what HIPAA requires. And at the same time, they are letting people know that they take this seriously because they have so many financial stakes at risk," says Kibbe.
Kibbe would like to see health plans and providers change from offering patients Notice of Privacy Practices, and instead follow the lead of the business world in allowing patients to consent to information exchanges between specific entities.
"I think that the non-HIPAA world, Google and Microsoft and those folks, have already accepted a higher level of consent obligation than what is currently the case under HIPAA," says Kibbe, adding he thinks the HIPAA law will move toward that model ultimately.
As healthcare looks to technology as a way to improve care and lower costs, Dermer says, the industry needs to protect against breaches that could harm the cause of greater technology integration.
"As healthcare delivery systems get even more complex and the sharing of information gets so important, we don't want disclosure issues to prevent the delivery of great care and the reduction of costs. I think that is what all of our mission has to strive toward," says Dermer.
Les Masterson is senior editor of Health Plan Insider. He can be reached at lmasterson@healthleadersmedia.com .
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A plan to build a new, $1.3 billion Parkland Memorial Hospital will go before Dallas County voters in November. The hospital's board of managers has unanimously agreed to ask Dallas County commissioners to call a bond election as part of the Nov. 4 general election. Voters would be asked to underwrite about 60% of the new charity hospital's costs through the sale of general obligation and revenue bonds. For years, supporters of Dallas' charity hospital have been lobbying the county to replace the overcrowded, rundown facility.
Health insurers battered by rising costs and employer benefits cuts caught a break when Minneapolis-based managed-care provider UnitedHealth Group saw its stock jump nearly 8%, despite reporting a sharp drop in second-quarter profit. UnitedHealth shares rose $2.38, or 10%, to $26.21 from Monday's closing price of $23.83, as the prices of other publicly traded insurers like Aetna Inc. and WellPoint Inc. also jumped several percentage points.
A federal appeals court that halted and then reinstated a 10% cut in Medi-Cal fees for prescription drugs has received a conflicting set of warnings from pharmacists and California health officials. The pharmacists say the reduction means patients will lose access to vital medicines, whle the health officials say suspending the cut would deepen California's fiscal crisis. Doctors and dentists, meanwhile, are challenging a 10% cut in their Medi-Cal fees in a separate suit to be heard by a Superior Court judge in Los Angeles.