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The paradigm shift occurring in healthcare is elevating transparency from buzzword status to a strategic component of many hospitals' and health systems' efforts to achieve the Triple Aim. Companies that provide consumers with ways to evaluate the quality and safety of hospitals are also driving the call for more transparency. Pushing out data to internal and external audiences so that it will lead to more accountability for quality and patient outcomes takes considerable clinical, technological, and workforce resources. Providers who are tackling the challenge of...

Health systems are positioning themselves for new reimbursement models amid shaky financial, regulatory, and political environments. The uncertainty leaves providers more focused on liquidity. Many have found medium-term capital an attractive alternative in their strategic capital formation to fill the gap between short- and long-term investments. Matching credit term length with the useful life of assets such as electronic medical records systems, clinical integration with outpatient care settings, and infrastructure enhancements (e.g., renovations, energy...

Culture and strategy often are regarded as "soft" elements of organizational leadership, yet nothing is more vital. An incorrect strategy or resistant culture often become discernible only when an organization is on the rocks. How can leaders inculcate the right strategy and culture in their organizations? An axiom holds that "culture eats strategy," which is a barrier to enacting change in a changing healthcare industry. Strategy is about setting priorities and allocating resources. As resources tighten, priorities for most healthcare organizations today are...

Healthcare is in a state of upheaval. Nowhere is this more evident than in treasury management, where the ability of a health system to be paid for its work can be jeopardized thanks to a number of initiatives that threaten to slow or halt payment—from ICD-10 to new commercial payment models to the need to effectively integrate hospital and physician practice billing and collection. At the same time, new points of revenue collection are opening up. Health systems are investing millions for better patient accounting systems. But integration between IT systems that...

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Although healthcare-acquired infections have received wide spread attention from hospitals, healthcare associations, and regulators, they remain a serious patient care issue and an avoidable high expense. The 2010 goal set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to decrease HAIs by 40% by 2013—which would result in 1.8 million fewer injuries to patients—was not met. Starting October 1, 2014, hospitals with the highest rates of preventable HAIs will be penalized 1%, adding to existing federal penalties. Hospitals and health systems can invest in...

Consolidation in healthcare has been the trend for many years, and it shows no sign of abating as provider organizations look to redesign care delivery models and prepare for the shift toward population health management and value-based purchasing. For those institutions that have already undertaken an acquisition, many challenges exist, including merging IT infrastructures, blending different organizational cultures, and balancing local versus corporate control. With so much at stake during the transition process, senior leaders have to set and execute the right...

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