As 2008 comes to a close we've had many pressing topics to
choose from for this issue. At the top of the list is how the
tightening economy is impacting our facilities, our people and the
care we provide. Despite all of these stresses, it seems that most
hospitals are determined to go ahead with critical IT
projects.
PWC predicts health system changes in 2009, and Rick Jackson,
Chairman and CEO of Jackson Healthcare, believes the time has come
for hospitals to adopt a new metric.
U.S. Emergency Rooms Find Ways to Fix What Ails
Them
Phil Galewitz, Special for USA TODAY
Hospital emergency rooms could use some intensive care of their
own. Long waits. Patients spending hours or days on beds in ER
hallways. Shortages of specialists willing to see emergency
patients. The cause of the nation's ER overcrowding is obvious: Too
many patients and not enough ER capacity. But it's not all doom and
gloom inside America's emergency rooms. Some hospitals are finding
ways to make their emergency rooms more efficient while maintaining
safety.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-12-14-emergency-rooms_N.htm
Study: Hospitals Plan IT Investment Despite Financial
Stresses
Anne Zieger, FiercehealthIT
Sure, hospitals have been taking it on the chin financially over
the last several months. They've been forced to respond in lots of
ways, including laying off workers, instituting hiring freezes,
delaying capital projects and cutting budgets, while an unfortunate
few have been forced to file for bankruptcy or put themselves up
for sale. Still, despite all of these stresses, it seems that most
hospitals are determined to go ahead with critical IT projects like
EMRs, computerized provider order entry systems and medication
management platforms, according to a new study by the American
Hospital Association, the College of Healthcare Information
Management Executives and the National Alliance for Health
Information Technology.
http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/study-hospitals-plan-it-investment-despite-financial-stresses/2008-12-13?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal&cmp-id=EMC-NL-FHI&dest=FHI
Health Care Reform: We Can't Afford To Wait To Fix This
Broken System
Mike King, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The depth of the nation's financial crisis seems to argue that
major reform efforts on a host of long-delayed critical issues
should be put off yet again. But getting started on fixing the
nation's health care financing system is more important than ever.
Indeed, this country's expensive and inefficient health care
delivery system is linked to many of the financial problems facing
U.S. manufacturers, most notably American automakers. While many of
the Big Three's problems are self-inflicted, even their critics
acknowledge that Detroit's obligation to provide health care
coverage to its workers and retirees has made them less competitive
in the world market.
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2008/12/14/healthed.html
Average Length of Stay: It's Time for a New
Metric
Rick Jackson, Jackson Healthcare
Although it has traditionally been the standard measurement for
hospital effectiveness, the "average length-of-stay" (LOS) is an
ill-advised and inaccurate tool. So says Rick Jackson, Chairman and
CEO of Jackson Healthcare. Jackson is calling for a new metric, one
that shifts the focus from counting meals and the use of beds to
the real culprit in hospital costs - bottlenecks in and between
departments. According to Jackson, his new metric, the "enterprise
length-of-stay" (ELOS), will increase throughput, capacity, and
revenue.
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/224526/topic/WS_HLM2_HOM/Average-Length-of-Stay-Its-Time-for-a-New-Metrick.html
Obama Adds Health IT to Economic Stimulus
Package
Paul McCloskey, Government Health IT
President-elect Barack Obama said health information technology
will be included in an economic recovery plan that is now being
worked out with members of Congress. In his radio address, Obama
said modernizing U.S. hospitals would be part of a major effort to
finance an upgrade of the broadband infrastructure of the U.S.,
which he said has fallen to 15th in the world in its rate of
adoption. Together with upgrading school and education networks,
"we must ensure that our hospitals are connected to each other
through the internet," Obama said, an effort he said that "won't
just save jobs, it will save lives."
http://www.govhealthit.com/online/news/350702-1.html
Best in KLAS Vendors Named
Health Data Management
KLAS Enterprises LLC has issued its 2008 Best in KLAS Awards
based on customer satisfaction with health information technology
vendors and consultants. The awards are based on survey data the
Orem, Utah-based vendor research firm has collected during the past
13 months from thousands of hospitals and physician practices. KLAS
also publishes a mid-year vendor report card and numerous special
reports each year outlining vendor performance in selected
markets.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/KLAS27439-1.html?ET=healthdatamanagement:e712:117429a:&st=email&channel=business_intelligence
Pricewaterhousecoopers Predicts Major Health System
Changes In 2009
Anne Zieger, Fierce Healthcare
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has released a report on what it
considers the top nine issues facing the healthcare industry in
2009. While many important issues are in play, among the biggest it
expects to see next year are pivotal shifts in the drive for health
reform. Some of the other issues identified by PwC include the
underinsured becoming a bigger problem than the uninsured; the
increasing importance placed on prevention as opposed to treatment;
the continuing presence of the often-unpopular pay for performance;
and incentives for wellness programs. Perhaps most importantly, PwC
expects 2009 to be a watershed for healthcare, with the economy
placing extra pressure on the industry, and huge changes expected
from Obama and the Democratic Congress.
http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/pricewaterhousecoopers-predicts-challenges-2009/2008-12-12?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal&cmp-id=EMC-NL-FH&dest=FH
A City of Two Tales: How Will Healthcare Achieve Its
Mandate in a Down Economy?
Marc Holland, IDC
Two icons of the healthcare industry, the Joint Commission for
the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the
American Hospital Association (AHA), issued reports illustrating
the stark contrasts between the strategic goals and the economic
realities confronting the industry in today's troubled economic
climate. With apologies to Charles Dickens, it struck me as a City
of Two Tales. While healthcare service delivery will likely remain
one of the industries least affected by current economic
conditions, it will not be exempt. We are in the process of
revising the numbers for our next release of Health Industry
Insights' Worldwide IT Spending Guide. Expect a downward
revision from last spring's version of more than 20%.
http://www.healthindustry-insights.com/HII/PR/newsletter.jsp?id=HIIcurrentnewsletter
Daschle Has His Own Health Plan
Los Angeles Times
By choosing former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to head
his healthcare reform effort, President-elect Barack Obama got more
than an old congressional hand with a policy book on his resume.
Obama has also picked up a hardheaded political strategy for his
push to overhaul the nation's healthcare system. Guided by lessons
from President Clinton's healthcare debacle 15 years ago, Daschle
has put a premium on cooperation between the White House, Congress
and major healthcare interest groups, many of whom agree that major
action on healthcare is vital.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-daschle15-2008dec15,0,6827362.story
Prognosis Poor for Our Health Care, Doctor
Says
Dr. Richard T. Bosshardt, Special to The Sentinel
I hear politicians talk about what is wrong with our health-care
system and how to fix it but I never seem to hear from doctors.
What do doctors think? I have not weighed in on the state of health
care mostly because I don't have good answers to the problems.
However, a recent independent survey sent out to 270,000
primary-care doctors and 50,000 specialists may give you some idea
about where doctors stand. Only 12,000 responded - less than a 4
percent response rate. That tells me something. Doctors are too
busy, apathetic or disillusioned to respond, but the responses
coming from that small percentage are telling.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/health/orl-lmed1408dec14,0,3007809.story
Road Blocks to Patient Centered Care (PCC)
Health Care Today Blog, Mike Pringle
I see a growing force within the clinical side of health care
that is hindering the implementations of patient centered care.
While I can see the benefits of PCC and agree with the basic
concept the current economic state of health care does not support
PCC. Taking a step back and looking at providers and patients
interact tells a very different story which if not altered may
thwart the efforts of bringing PCC into the forefront of health
care. Providers at all levels are strained from their daily work
load. The pace and the demand for care right now are very high and
it is taking a toll. Patient flow is diminished from what I can see
with EMR systems as well. Hospitals are laying people off like the
rest of the business world in an effort to keep some semblance of a
reasonable fiscal status.
http://www.healthcaretwoday.com/2008/12/road-blocks-to-patient-centered-care.html
Where Have All the Doctors Gone?
Pauline W. Chen, M.D., The New York Times
In the last several months there have been reports in medical
journals about an impending shortage of primary care physicians,
notes Pauline W. Chen, MD, in a column for the New York Times. But
the recent survey from The Physicians' Foundation, a nonprofit
organization that supports physicians' work with patients,
indicates that the primary care crisis may not be looming on the
horizon; it may already be at our back door, Chen says.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/health/11doctors.html?_r=1
20 People Who Make Healthcare Better
Health Leaders Media
Healthcare faces a long list of daunting challenges, from
spiraling costs to drug-resistant infections to millions of
uninsured patients. Who is showing the courage, the creativity, the
perseverance to meet those challenges? Who is truly making a
difference in today's complex healthcare world? In our annual
HealthLeaders 20, we offer profiles of individuals who are doing
just that. Some are longtime fixtures in the industry; others would
clearly be considered "outsiders." Some of them are revered
figures; others would not win many popularity contests. But all of
them are playing a crucial role in finding ways both large and
small to make the industry better.
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/224818/topic/WS_HLM2_MAG/20-People-Who-Make-Healthcare-Better.html
Senior Executives Who Get It
Carrie Vaughan, HealthLeaders Media
Given the perpetual flow of news about what's wrong with
healthcare, it was refreshing to hear at this week's IHI conference
about how some hospitals and health systems are actually improving
the care that they deliver to patients. There certainly doesn't
seem to be a shortage of process improvement strategies to improve
patient care-developing those ideas seems to be the easy part. The
challenge for senior leaders is implementing those strategies
systemwide and sustaining them. Here's a quick snapshot of how some
hospitals are driving and sustaining that change.
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/224960/topic/WS_HLM2_LED/Senior-Executives-Who-Get-It.html
Are You Ready for Healthcare Reform?
David Osborn, PhD, for HealthLeaders Media
One thing is certain about the United State's change in
Washington: We've elected a president - and Congress - who will
aggressively pursue healthcare reform at an unprecedented pace.
Here's what we know: It's likely the White House and Congress will
enact some reform over the next year or two. President-elect Barack
Obama pledged to expand health coverage for more Americans and
lower healthcare costs. The only problem? The economy. Just how the
government will pay for increased access to healthcare in light of
the financial bailout underway is a wild card.
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/224471/topic/WS_HLM2_LED/Are-You-Ready-for-Healthcare-Reform.html
Physician Champion Crucial in IT Implementation
Projects
American Medical News
Experts say that a physician champion is crucial to any IT
implementation project that requires a point person who is
knowledgeable and willing to spend extra time on helping to train
other physicians. Successful physician champions understand how to
communicate problems and needs between administrators, vendors and
physicians.
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/12/08/bisa1208.htm