The average time that hospital emergency rooms patients wait to see a doctor has grown from about 38 minutes to almost an hour over the past decade, according to statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The increase is due to supply and demand, said Stephen Pitts, MD, the lead author of the report. Overall, about 119 million visits were made to U.S. emergency rooms in 2006, up from 90 million in 1996. Meanwhile, the number of hospital emergency departments dropped to fewer than 4,600, from nearly 4,900.
West Penn Hospital has filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania attorney general in which it accuses Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of violating an agreement to care for all children in the region. Children's Hospital recently decided to stop sending its doctors to West Penn Hospital to perform minor surgeries on infants. Instead, infants needing such care, about 25 a year, will be transported to Children's Hospital. A spokesman for Attorney General Tom Corbett said the office is reviewing the complaint, but he did not offer a timetable for completion of the review. Children's Hospital defended its decision, saying all children continue to have access to the hospital regardless of their ability to pay.
A group of large employers in Wisconsin have seen their healthcare costs decrease by 9% over the past two years under a plan put together for the Business Health Care Group. Combined, the 18 unidentified employers provide health benefits for 55,000 employees, retirees and family members. The employer coalition was created to help bring healthcare costs in southeastern Wisconsin in line with other cities in the Midwest. The Group contracted with Humana Inc. in 2005 to put together a health plan solely for its members. That plan, introduced in 2006 and known as Humana Preferred, now covers more than 93,000 people.
Kentucky could save up to $10 million in 2008, and millions more in the future, by increasing the participation of state workers and retirees in chronic disease management programs, according to a study by accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. But officials say that's a challenging task because the Kentucky Employees Health Plan covers 260,000 people living in many locations. The study was conducted on behalf of the board that oversees state health insurance plans, and said up to $10 million could be saved next year if just 2,000 members with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease could be added to disease-management programs. That amount is 1% of the $1 billion the plan spends annually on medical claims and administrative costs.
Thinking that much of healthcare advertising tends to look the same, Amy Speagle, marketing & public relations director for The Medical Center of Aurora (CO) & Centennial Medical Plaza, looked to Weise Communications in Denver to create something out of the ordinary.
"I am a firm believer that you need to stand out in the crowd," Speagle says. Along with standing out, there was also the challenge of generating awareness about Centennial Medical Plaza's ER and a newly formed relationship with Kaiser Permanente's patients.
The medical center sponsors a local family sports center so the creative team headed over to look for some inspiration.
And they found it—the trip turned out to be a catalyst for creativity.
While visiting the sports center, Travis Parker a copywriter for Weise, wondered, "What if a hockey puck flew through the glass?"
That thought led to the idea of showing sports-related mishaps in the ads, says Tracy Weise, account supervisor for the campaign and president of Weise. "Everyone loves bloopers—so we asked ourselves, what kind of things could happen here that we could portray?"
The team placed ads in each area of the sports center that corresponded to the sport played in that area. For example, an ad in the hockey rink shows a player falling over the boards. All you see are the player's legs with the campaign message, "Just in Case," and the facility's logo on the rink's boards.
Another ad, placed at the soccer field, shows the image of a player diving for a ball over a real trash can. And at the driving range, a bucket of balls can be seen overhead with actual balls appearing as if they're falling down over visitors at the range.
"Hopefully, the underlying message is that healthcare doesn't have to be scary," says Speagle. "I firmly believe the message needs to be clean, short, and people need to get it right away. I think, anecdotally, we've gotten a great response. Anyone who has seen it says it's sticking in their minds—which is important."
Kandace McLaughlin is an editor with HealthLeaders magazine. Send her Campaign Spotlight ideas at kmclaughlin@healthleadersmedia.com If you are a marketer submitting a campaign on behalf of your facility or client, please ensure you have permission before doing so.
A few factors work against executives in small rural hospitals when they need advice. First, there may be no one around to ask within their organization—this is especially true for independent facilities that don't have a larger system of support backing them up. Money is also a top concern. Rural hospitals often don't have the $25,000 that's required to hire a consultant to come to their hospital. In addition, some rural leaders simply don't know where to look for advice and information, while others don't want to ask for advice, because they don't want to be told how to run their business by an outsider.
I can't help too much with the last one. But if you need advice, here are some places to start:
1. State resources. State hospital associations or state rural health centers often have a variety of expertise that rural hospitals can access for free or at a nominal cost. For instance, the Arkansas Hospital Association gathers all of the state's critical-access hospitals together to discuss different issues that are unique to them, says Chris Kuhlmann, the chief financial officer for Howard Memorial Hospital in Nashville, AR. But some rural hospitals don't get too involved, he says. "They don't see the need or aren't real aware of what you can find out by collaborating with other facilities—especially larger facilities across a diverse geographic area."
2. Healthcare associations and networks. Hospitals are often members of various organizations like the American Hospital Association, VHA Inc, or a rural hospital network. These organizations offer support on a variety of topics like quality, safety, materials management, pharmacy, nursing, recruitment, reimbursement, and legislation. So use them. Some networks even have listservs where individual questions can be posted and colleagues can respond. According to industry experts, most healthcare leaders are generous in taking the time to respond to these inquiries.
3. Web-based tools. While not free, a number of consulting companies and healthcare organizations are providing information through Webinars, Webcasts, and audioconferences. These tools are often a cost-effective way for small rural hospitals to receive information without breaking the bank. These tools cut out the travel expenses and registration fees required for attending conferences, and they are often much more affordable than having an onsite consultant. For example, Howard Memorial takes advantage of the expertise provided by its management company's Web-based seminars and mentoring program. "We have the ability to call and get an answer to just about anything we want on a whole myriad of issues, whether it is HR, or finance and reimbursement, or related to a new government regulation," says Kuhlmann.
And for those leaders who need information but don't want a lot of oversight, good news: You don't have to be managed by these organizations to access many of their Web-based seminars. "It provides a lot of guidance, but what it doesn't provide is heavy-handed oversight. That is what I love. I have access to the same resources as if I was working for a 60-hospital chain, but I still have the autonomy to make my own decisions that are applicable to my market," says Kuhlmann.
4. Peers. Perhaps one of the easiest ways to get advice is to ask your colleagues. Even if you're not part of a larger system, you can still search out best-practice hospitals and ask them for advice. Or consider asking five colleagues what they would do in a certain scenario or where they might look for answers. Leaders should establish a professional network that they can turn to for advice, experts contend. Don't feel limited to a phone or e-mail conversation, either. Sometimes you can arrange a site visit at a best practice hospital, as well, says Steven Simonin, the CEO of Wright Medical Center in Clarion, IA. "If you see something you like or something that intrigues you in another setting—doesn't have to even be healthcare—call them and ask," he says.
When all else fails, you can always try Google. Just remember: When searching the Internet, it may take a while to sort through the useless information until you find something useful.
Carrie Vaughan is editor of HealthLeaders Media Community and Rural Hospital Weekly. She can be reached at cvaughan@healthleadersmedia.com.
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