Hospitals and nursing homes are utilizing traditional care to improve their readmission rates. According to a recent story in FierceHealthcare, hospital reimbursements are on the line, and hospitals are looking to improve their readmission rates. The report states, "In fiscal year 2013, hospitals will be penalized by 1 percent for high … [Read more...]
Hospitals Improve Readmission Rate with Transitional Care
National Spike in Legionnaire’s Cases
Healthcare experts have reported an alarming rise in cases of the potentially fatal illness that nearly claimed my mother’s life a little more than a year ago - Legionnaire’s Disease. "Legionaries' disease can happen in a variety of ways," said Stephen Ostroff, physician service representative for the Pennsylvania Department of Health. "It … [Read more...]
Always Events: A New Initiative for Patient Care
Hospital Physicians and other healthcare providers will soon hear about "Always Events" - a new initiative aimed at significantly elevating the standard for the patient care in US healthcare facilities. This new standard is described in a recent white paper by the Picker Institute, and is likely to also involve outsourced physicians. The term … [Read more...]
Engaging Physicians in a Shared Quality Agenda
Hospital Physician engagement in quality and safety - a framework worth revisiting. Six primary elements essential for the engagement of physicians in quality and safety, are noted in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's white paper titled Engaging Physicians in a Shared Quality Agenda. In this previously published paper, the following are … [Read more...]
When Ambulatory Services Should Consider Outsourcing
For many Ambulatory Surgery Centers, providing adequate patient care is challenging enough, so when should they consider hiring an outsourcing company to handle billing matters and such? According to “Becker’s ASC Review” when Ambulatory Surgery Centers experience the following circumstances, they should consider exploring outsourced physician … [Read more...]