Strategic Planning

Uncertainty over which vendors offer the best revenue cycle management platform for them is motivating a growing number of hospitals and physician groups to outsource revenue cycle processes in lieu of making a large investment in software, according to a new report by BlackBook Research.

Dedicated funding is needed for research, the report says, and hospitals and doctors need to develop better ways to identify, reduce and learn from "near misses."

In a stark departure from the past, the vast majority of the country's medical schools now integrate discussions of cost, value and effectiveness into their curricula.

Experts say problems seen in September in testing ICD-10 codes could turn into disasters when the new diagnostic code set goes live on October 1.

Many doctors who initiate the discussions often do so on their own dime.

From bed pans and basins to catheters and syringes, hospital supply chain managers know just how important plastic products are to the business. And lucky for them, the drop in petroleum prices is creating much needed cost savings for savvy organizations.

Providers should use outcomes-based evidence to drive decisions about what they will continue to offer and what they won't, experts say.

So far wildfires have not forced any hospital evacuations, but they are ready if they have to.

With giant commercial health insurers announcing plans to merge, and experts predicting more consolidation, healthcare providers will be weighing their options when it comes to price negotiations.

System adapts car maker's production system for healthcare, changing longstanding practices such as how to store equipment, schedule surgeries and discharge patients.