Developing Healthcare

With Medicare spending an estimated $12 billion on avoidable readmissions, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, two new programs are being introduced to help curb these costly, unneeded expenditures while improving patients’ quality of care. The Community-based Care Transitions Program (CCTP) and Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalizations among Nursing Facility Residents are innovative programs [...]

As a leader in specialty procedures, cardiology is a growing field that is in demand from patients, as well as from hospitals looking to acquire practices. While some cardiologists are interested in being employed by hospitals, about 67% according to a Price Water House Coopers 2011 Report, others prefer the private practice route. When looking [...]

As a progressive new form of quality and convenient health, telehealth practices are growing, especially in rural areas, as it improves access and cost of care. However, with a reimbursement model not clearly defined, some physicians are still reluctant. In essence, telemedicine enables health providers to monitor patients who are not at their location. With [...]

Created in the mid 90’s for the wealthy elite, concierge medicine today delivers care at a more reasonable price and can actually be more cost effective than some health insurance plans. With the number of concierge practices growing five times since 2005 according to a MedPAC study, concierge medicine is a progressive option that might [...]

How do you think you became sick enough to come back to the hospital? It’s a simple enough question, but one which can have dramatic effects for improving the financial outlook and quality of patient care delivered for hospitals and health system enrolled in the State Action on Avoidable Rehospitalizations (STAAR) initiative. STAAR is a [...]

With Medicare soon releasing a final rule on reducing hospital readmissions, hospitals need to strengthen their efforts in this endeavor. Hospitals with the highest rates of readmissions can face the harshest penalties, with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) cutting 3% of their reimbursements. A much conversed about topic to help reduce hospital [...]

After the American Hospital Association released its Accountable Care Organization (ACO) report on start up costs, many health systems are rethinking how they want to structure their organization. The report which estimated start up costs for ACOs ranging from $11.6 to $26.1 million is a far cry from what the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid [...]

A new Health and Human Services (HHS) initiative, Partnership for Patients, is calling hospitals to focus on nine specific types of medical errors where the potential is great for increased care. The initiative has two over arching goals: keep hospitals patients’ symptoms from worsening, and facilitate patients’ treatment process from the hospital environment to other [...]

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently outlaid the much anticipated new rules for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Health systems, hospitals, and providers now have a clearer look at the rules on how to qualify for shared savings and the risks associated in offering integrated care for Medicare patients. The standout rule in [...]

Even in this time of health systems increasing cost savings and moving away from lavish interiors, hospitals are still willing to go the extra mile when designing patient rooms. Whether through sophisticated electronics or expanded room space, hospitals upgrading patient rooms may expect increased patient satisfaction as well as an economic gain. Hospital room upgrades [...]