Quality and Safety

Putting technology in the hands of doctors that can provide real-time data can help cut costs, but such technology can be expensive for health systems. The question then becomes is it worth it economically?

If physicians and health executives could design and build a new hospital with features they've long dreamed of, would the finances fall into place? One booming healthcare market is about to find out.

Health systems are making strides to move care beyond the hospital walls and better connect patients with resources that can keep them healthy. It starts by identifying areas of risk and harm -- both inside and outside of care facilities.

As healthcare continues the transition to value-based reimbursement models, acute and post-acute care collaboration that benefits both organizations -- financially and clinically -- is the future of patient care.

Medicare officials have allowed patients at dozens of hospitals participating in pilot projects across the country to be exempted from the controversial requirement that limits nursing home coverage to seniors admitted to a hospital for at least three days.

Hospitals are increasingly making reducing hospital-acquired infections and readmissions a priority -- and saving millions of dollars in the process -- but there are still gaps to be filled.

Cancer treatment costs are among the highest in the healthcare industry. Insurer UnitedHealthcare created a pilot in an attempt to lower costs that has yielded some promising, though somewhat mixed results.

Children's hospitals increasingly face the same market challenges as other hospitals, including a growing pressure to significantly reduce costs. Dan May of Huron Healthcare offers performance improvement suggestions for finance and operations leaders at these facilities.

Medicare regulators are updating hospital outpatient and ambulatory surgery center payments for next year, and also outlining a potential remedy to private Medicare overpayments.

A patient-centered medical home program with a physician-owned, multispecialty group has been so promising that Aetna is extending the arrangement.