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January 27, 2010 -- Hospital Impact has been ranked one of the top 50 healthcare blogs by Wikio.
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In March of this year, WellPoint and Availity announced a strategic partnership with Availity--a health information network that connects health plans and providers. Anne Zieger, Editor of FierceHealthcare, recently chatted with WellPoint Vice President of Healthcare Management John Jesser and Availity CEO Julie Klapstein about the collaboration, what it means for both parties, and what it could mean for the future of healthcare. Click here for more...
Scott Shreeve, MD, Senior Health Advisor at The X Prize Foundation, has asked the healthcare blogosphere to take part in this blog rally in order to raise awareness about the Healthcare X Prize Foundation competition and encourage public participation in the prize design. Pass the word around and feel free to post this to your own blog if possible.
We are entering an unprecedented season of change for the United States healthcare system. Americans are united by their desire to fundamentally reform our current system into one that delivers on the promise of freedom, equity and best outcomes for best value. In this season of reform, we will see all kinds of ideas presented from all across the political spectrum. Many of these ideas will be prescriptive, and don't harness the power of innovation to create the dramatic breakthroughs required to create a next generation health system.
We believe there is a better way.
by Nick Jacobs
"Good news," my new physician said. "You passed your cardiac stress test." "Yes," I thought. "That is REAL good news; no open heart surgery, no angioplasty, no more stents. Yeah, that is great news." Even though I know that thallium stress tests are only about 70 percent accurate, I'll take that piece of information and hold it tight while I smile a little.
"Well," he went on, "Your HDL is not where it should be, and you do have mild kidney failure. We’ll just have to keep an eye on that."
"Mild kidney failure?" I said out loud. "Wow, that was unexpected," I sighed. What did mild kidney failure mean?
by Dr. Kenneth H. Cohn
We usually know him when we see him: Tightly wound, a product of pedigreed training programs, a high achiever, used to getting his way. Most healthcare organizations have at least one of him. He may be the cornerstone of an institute or service line. He is the alpha doc.
The question we face is, how do we capitalize on his expertise and charisma without dreading to work with him?
Based on my 500,000 mile journey working in 40 states, I offer the following strategies from healthcare professionals who face this challenge.
Welcome to the first annual FierceHealthcare review of health plan CEO compensation.
Despite the trials and tribulations of the past year, there are several executives still raking in quite a few dollars at the end of the day. This is a look at some of the top total compensation packages from 2008 based on information gathered from the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission.
by Christopher Cornue
During the past several weeks, I was one of the folks who thought we were overreacting to this strain of flu. Its symptoms were similar to other flu strains, it didn't seem as virulent as others, and we had identified a drug that could combat it (until it developed a resistance to it).
However, I actively participated in efforts to ensure my hospital, as well as regional and county organizations, were well prepared for the potential outbreak we could have experienced--one can never be too prepared, and we did take these actions very seriously. It was the education and preparation for a potential outbreak that I believe was either a direct (or possibly indirect) outcome of what we've experienced that past few weeks.
by Joe Wasserman
In recent months, our industry has experienced unforeseen financial pressures as a result of the economic downturn impacting our patient volumes, operating income and investment income.
The proper response is to lower our operating expenses. This is not likely a transitory situation, and ultimately we need to learn how to operate profitably under our Medicare reimbursement.
The lack of a well planned and executed expense reduction plan may well result in catastrophic financial and operational difficulties.
What to do? Consider these perspectives:
Safety TipHospital facilities built today do not include asbestos, but many older buildings still have asbestos components in them. Steam pipes, boilers and furnace ducts were often insulated with an asbestos blanket or asbestos paper tape because of their fireproof and insulating properties. Resilient floor tiles were made from vinyl asbestos. Asbestos cement was employed in roofing, shingles and siding materials. The hazard of this carcinogen increases when the fibers become airborne, and untrained contractors can inadvertently increase risks by cutting, tearing, sawing, scraping, or sanding asbestos materials. Elevated asbestos levels can occur in hospitals where old materials are damaged or disturbed. It is best to leave undamaged asbestos material alone if it is not likely to be disturbed. Inhaling asbestos fibers is known to cause mesothelioma and other diseases. Be sure to use an experienced asbestos removal contractor when you need to get rid of old materials that might contain asbestos. |
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