Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, the state's largest health insurer, will no longer pay for claims when hospitals make a serious error. The new payment policy is expected to be implemented by the end of the year at Illinois Blue Cross and three other Blue Cross plans that operate under the Illinois plan's parent, Chicago-based Health Care Service Corp. The company has 12.4 million members, including 7.4 million in Illinois.
As the University of Chicago Medical Center prepares to build a $700 million hospital pavilion, it has amassed ample cash to pay for the project, according to a financial analysis. The medical center increased its unrestricted cash position to $875 million as of May 31, compared with $765 million on June 30, 2007, according to a July report by Moody's Investors Service. Even though only $100 million in cash will go toward the 10-story, 1.2 million-square-foot pavilion, executives say the large cash cushion will help the hospital overall. A large cash position helps hospitals with their financial picture and makes it easier for non-profit medical centers to issue debt, analysts said.
The North Broward (FL) Hospital District's former internal-audit director claims in a lawsuit that he was fired after uncovering questionable payments to its former top executive. David Richstone sued the public-health system now known as Broward Health, alleging his termination two weeks ago was in retaliation for his refusal to end an investigation that found more than two dozen instances of "improper expenditures" to former CEO and President Alan Levine. Broward Health representatives said the system will "vigorously defend itself" against the suit.
Pittsburgh-based Jefferson Regional Medical Center has purchased the Mercy-Healthtrax building in Bethel Park, PA. The facility will become known as the Jefferson Regional Medical Center Health Pavilion, and healthcare tenants already in the building are expected to stay the same. Tenants in the 60,000 square-foot pavilion currently include: Jefferson Regional Medical Center physical therapy, Jefferson Regional Medical Center Diagnostic Services, Healthtrax, South Hills Family Medicine, Greater Pittsburgh OB/GYN, Preferred Primary Care Physicians, Steel Valley Orthopedic Associates and Medical Rehabilitation.
Diagnostic imaging can catch disease at its earliest stages, and carries the potential for saving lives. But health plans sometimes view the procedure as an unnecessary expense. +
As if local patient dumping weren't enough of a PR nightmare for the U.S. healthcare system: Now hospitals are being called out for patient dumping on an international scale. +
Craig Sammit, MD, MBA, president and CEO of Dean Health System in Madison, WI, discusses his two-year effort to identify and develop more physicians for leadership roles within the organization. +
Just about everybody involved in healthcare has been touting the benefits of e-prescribing. Now some of the proponents are putting money where their mouths are by offering incentives to physicians who make the switch. +
Diagnostic imaging can catch disease at its earliest stages, and carries the potential for saving lives. But health plans sometimes view the procedure as an unnecessary expense. +
As healthcare costs continue to rise, and overcrowding plagues doctors' offices and emergency rooms, retail-based convenience health clinics are quickly proving to be more of a mainstay than a fad. In fact, these clinics are expected to produce more than $4 billion in revenues within the next three years. +
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. +
Retail clinics could soon overshadow primary care physician offices, as convenience for patients and rising healthcare costs are pushing the traditional venue out of the picture. +
The newest report on medical tourism predicts "explosive growth" for U.S. outbound medical travel, with Americans paying more than $2 billion to global providers this year and doubling their spending next year. +
Diagnostic imaging can catch disease at its earliest stages, and carries the potential for saving lives. But health plans sometimes view the procedure as an unnecessary expense. +
Just about everybody involved in healthcare has been touting the benefits of e-prescribing. Now some of the proponents are putting money where their mouths are by offering incentives to physicians who make the switch. +
As healthcare costs continue to rise, and overcrowding plagues doctors' offices and emergency rooms, retail-based convenience health clinics are quickly proving to be more of a mainstay than a fad. In fact, these clinics are expected to produce more than $4 billion in revenues within the next three years. +
Sharon Roush, the CEO at Capital Regional Medical Center in Tallahassee, FL, discusses how Capital Regional lowered the walkout rate in its ER from 3.6% to 0.5% and lowered its ED wait time. +
Retail clinics could soon overshadow primary care physician offices, as convenience for patients and rising healthcare costs are pushing the traditional venue out of the picture. +
Diagnostic imaging can catch disease at its earliest stages, and carries the potential for saving lives. But health plans sometimes view the procedure as an unnecessary expense. +
A successful quality improvement plan will integrate that philosophy into ongoing practice procedures and policies, patient satisfaction, and staff member recognition.
The following are three concepts to consider implementing in your quality improvement plan as a way to create a quality culture among staff members and show how important these areas are to their jobs:
Believe in your practice's quality mission statement. It is important that your staff member stand behind your practice's mission statement and keep this in mind when performing every procedure. To make your patients more aware of your quality mission statement, post it on doors and rooms in the office, require staff members to include portions of it when speaking to patients, and invite patients to view it on your practice's Web page. You may also want to offer a refresher course to your staff members on important regulations and consequences of noncompliance that could potentially affect quality improvement.
Model the quality improvement behavior you want to see. Be sure to handle these operational procedures and policies in the same way that you taught your staff members so they see that you believe in quality as well. If you can model the kind of quality that you expect from your staff members, they will be more likely to follow your lead.
For instance, you can show your staff members how to handle a patient complaint by asking the patient to come in to the office to talk about the matter. Investigate the circumstances surrounding the problem, and interview everyone involved in the situation, including staff members and physicians. Once you have resolved the issue, point out the original problem, address how it has changed, and explain the significance in making this decision. Remember to follow up by monitoring your staff members to see how they handle patient complaints.
Reward staff members for their efforts toward quality. Your staff needs to know its value in the practice. For example, install a suggestion box at the front desk for staff members to nominate a fellow employee each month. This person is rewarded for going beyond the expectations of his or her position to produce a quality outcome. The key to instilling a successful quality plan is involving the entire office from the top down.
This article was adapted from one that originally ran in the August issue of The Doctor's Office, a HealthLeaders Media publication.
