Risk Management

American Medical Association says the readmission penalty is unnecessary since other other pay-for-performance programs already measure complications such as surgical site infections.

With out-of-pocket costs for patients increasing due to the popularity of high deductible health plans, and with so few purchasers taking advantage of health savings accounts, the risk of bad debt and charity care has increased for healthcare providers.

While once there were no books, conferences and even curriculum dedicated to the management methodology, now there are dozens of tools available.

Organizations need to find ways to increase collections on the front end, revise charity policies and contract for shared risk to stay solvent, according to a new report from iVantage Health Analytics.

Security spending geared towards better locks, security staff and more cameras, but the most important spending is on risk assessment and staff training.

Texas health system offering patients more choice and nurturing its own health plan, even while collaborating with major insurers.

Hospital does not charge for any additional care within 30 days of a hip or knee replacement, covering readmissions, infections, rehab and postoperative care — everything except deficiencies in the joint devices.

Federal penalties for high rates of patient readmissions are compelling hospitals to dig into the causes of the re-hospitalizations, which frequently have more to do with socioeconomic factors than the healthcare provided.

“Not all readmissions can or should be prevented; indeed, some are planned as part of sound clinical care,” AHA says.

Some health systems are trying to help patients avoid high-cost bills altogether, by working with insurers to craft value-based plans that offer low out-of-pocket costs.