Quality and Safety
Transforming clinical, administrative and operational processes are critical components for healthcare organizations looking to deliver higher-quality care and reduce costs, Melinda Hancock and Michael Spine of Bon Secours Virginia Health Systems said at ANI in Orlando, Fla.
After implementing a hand washing "action plan," four hospitals in southwestern Virginia and eastern Tennessee reduced healthcare-acquired infection rates (HAIs) a collective 41 percent within 90 days, resulting in savings of $1.2 million in costs.
Health4, the clinical integration program of the Health Group of Ohio, and Medical Mutual of Ohio have launched a coordinated payer-provider program that aims to reward hospitals and doctors for keeping patients healthy and reducing hospitalizations.
Up to $500 million in Affordable Care Act funding will be awarded to help hospitals and providers improve care with new programs, training and monitoring, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced June 22.
In all the talk around healthcare reform, the issue of meeting medical transportation needs of the burgeoning senior population hasn't received a lot of press, but as the healthcare system grapples with how it will manage an estimated 70 million Americans who will be age 65 and older by 2030, industry insiders say it's imperative the issue be addressed.
High cost drugs used to treat relatively few people suffering from complex conditions like anemia, cancer, hemophilia, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and human growth hormone deficiency are often the most expensive, costing thousands of dollars for each prescription.
Many predictions were made early in 2011 about the issues that would challenge healthcare finance leaders this year. Does your experience bear them out?
An owner of a Houston healthcare company pled guilty Monday in connection with a $654,227 Medicare fraud scheme, announced the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS).
When the United States economy was dominated by farming and manufacturing work, the motivational emphasis was on getting paid for more output: The more widgets you produced, the more money you earned, but that employment model is on the downswing, says Tim Kilpatrick, a revenue cycle consultant with Dell Services.
Earlier this month, an office manager at a family practice in North Carolina pled guilty to embezzling more than $1 million from her employer. A 20-year employee, she stole the money over an 11-year period.