Feature Articles

41. Seven Elements Of Effective Clinical Communication 1/25/2018

    “The number one problem with communication in healthcare is that people ask things like, ‘is there blood in your urine?’ Patients say no, because they think they’re supposed to see literal blood. Doctors need to ask this in a much simpler way, such as, ‘Is your urine any color other than clear or pale yellow?’ We don’t like to talk about gross things. That’s something that happened with my husband, Fred. They just checked the box and ruled out cancer. He had orange urine for a year. But he didn’t know that meant blood in his urine. He made the assumption that he wasn’t drinking enough water. He knew his urine could get darker if he was dehydrated or if he ate different things.”

42. 4 Steps To Address The Joint Commission’s Sentinel Event Alert On Hand-Off Communication 1/25/2018

    “I’m bringing a patient up,” says Mark Frye, a nurse in the PACU. “Ted Jones, 33 years old. He came in through the ED. We believe he was in a motor vehicle collision. He has an open compound fracture of the left femur with external repair. He remains unresponsive with a head injury of unknown cause.

43. Reinventing Claims Payment For A Value-Based World 1/16/2018

    Payers need to choose between automated payment and accurate automated payment.

44. National Medical Claim Denial Trends And The Impact On Providers 1/16/2018
45. Four Steps To Develop, Implement, And Operationalize A Bundled Payment Strategy 1/16/2018

    In the continuing effort to increase quality and decrease costs, health plans and providers are shifting from volume-based care (fee for service) to a value-based reimbursement structure (fee for value). Value-based reimbursement promises benefits to patients, providers, and health plans, as it encourages delivery of high quality care at the lowest cost, largely by improving clinical and administrative efficiency.

46. What Makes A Consulting Firm Worth The Investment? 1/16/2018

    When you’re tackling the industry’s biggest challenges, an experienced consulting firm can help ensure success. You will have many options, but these three must-have characteristics can help guide your search for the right firm.

47. The Risks Of Rising Self-Pay And 10 Ways To Keep Your Hospital Safe 1/16/2018

    As businesses of all sizes struggle with skyrocketing healthcare costs, employers are looking to employees to help shoulder the burden, often by shifting to Consumer-Directed Health Plans (CDHP), which include higher medical deductibles and a higher share of payment responsibility for the employee. There’s one big problem with this approach, however: A significant number of patients can’t (or won’t) pay for healthcare without employer subsidies. Research indicates that consumers at all income levels are more likely to pay for their mortgages, insurance, loans, utilities, cable TV, Internet, lawn care, and newspapers before paying their healthcare bills. It’s a dangerous cycle for healthcare providers, health plan providers and consumers alike.

48. Choosing An Efficient HIPAA-Compliant Communication Solution At Jackson-Madison County General Hospital 1/8/2018

    Beginning in the 1960s, pager-like systems were put to use and quickly became the industry standard for sending messages. Over the last few decades, the way hospitals communicate sensitive information has evolved, and their technology needs have changed to secure Protected Health Information (PHI) in accordance with HIPAA rules. In light of this, hospitals are now searching for secure communication systems that are also more robust.

49. Automate Your Clinical Communications To Improve Care Team Response Times 1/8/2018

    Healthcare organizations strive to provide the best care for their patients. Automating the process of notifying the appropriate medical staff about a patient’s needs is key to providing appropriate and timely care.

50. Top Ten Trends In Healthcare Technology 12/4/2017

    While public debate has centered on the Affordable Care Act and its potential replacement, other long- term trends have continued unabated, marking this period as the most innovative time in the history of healthcare. As was highlighted at the 2017 Healthcare Technology Conference hosted by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), technologists are moving rapidly regardless of the political environment. The results show significant trends in healthcare technology, both short and long-term. Since these innovations impact the quality, availability, and costs of healthcare, they require the attention of all corporate executives.