Why isn't the U.S. the best? Results from the National
Score Card on the U.S. Health system performance for
2008
Healthcare Purchasing News
Evidence in the National Scorecard on U.S. Health System
Performance, 2008, shows that care typically falls far short of
what is achievable. Across 37 indicators of performance, the U.S.
achieves an overall score of 65 out of a possible 100 when
comparing national averages with benchmarks of best performance
achieved internationally and within the United States. Even more
troubling, the U.S. health system is on the wrong track. Overall,
performance has not improved since the first National Scorecard was
issued in 2006. Of greatest concern, access to health care has
significantly declined. As of 2007, more than 75 million adults-42
percent of all adults ages 19 to 64-were either uninsured during
the year or underinsured, up from 35 percent in 2003. At the same
time, the U.S. failed to keep pace with gains in health outcomes
achieved by the leading countries.
http://www.hpnonline.com/dailyupdates/July_08-3.htm#18-1
Read the complete study
Senate examines health IT in improving healthcare
delivery, cost
Molly Merrill, Healthcare IT News
The Senate Finance Committee held its fourth in a series of
hearings Thursday to prepare for Congressional action on health
reform. The latest hearing examined how health information
technology could be used to improve healthcare delivery and, in
some cases, reduce healthcare spending. The meeting explored what
causes geographic variation in healthcare spending and looked at
two potential solutions, comparative effectiveness research and
health IT, which could help facilitate this type of research.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=9613&fromRSS=true
Survey: 'Wired Hospitals' lead to increase in key
quality measures
Molly Merrill, HealthcareITNews
According to the 10th annual Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking
Study, hospitals that embrace information technology demonstrate
better patient satisfaction outcomes, risk-adjusted mortality rates
and other key quality measures. The Most Wired Survey is conducted
annually by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine in conjunction
with Accenture, the McKesson Corp. and the College of Healthcare
Information Management Executives. The survey focused on how the
nation's hospitals use information technology for quality, customer
service, public health and safety, business processes and workforce
issues.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com
The myth of Length of Stay
Stefani Daniels, HealthLeaders Media
In 1983, the flat fee reimbursement method suggested that
shorter length of stay would increase hospital profits. But the
logic was flawed. Resource consumption did not decline, and
physicians continued to practice exactly the way they did
pre-DRG-but they did it in fewer days. Author Stefani Daniels says
hospitals now have the tools available to dig deeper into solutions
for these problems. If only they would use them.
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/215087/topic/WS_HLM2_FIN/The-Myth-of-Length-of-Stay.html
JAMA study on RFID hazards draws vendor
response
Bernie Monegain, HealthcareITNews
Technology vendors are responding to a report published in the
Journal of the American Medical Association that raises the
potential danger of using radio frequency identification in
hospitals. The implementation of RFID in the critical care
environment should require on-site EMI tests and updates of
international standards, the researchers said. "With the EMI-risks
... and the need for highly accurate Real Time Location Systems
(RTLS), we see a shift in the market -- a shift from radio-based
tracking technologies to alternatives," said Christoffer Arntzen,
marketing manager for Sonitor.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=9475&fromRSS=true
Hospital HIT survey shows slow adoption
Diana Manos, HealthcareITNews
Results of an annual survey conducted by the Healthcare
Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) of 5,084
hospitals shows slow progress in healthcare IT adoption. According
to Dave Garets, president and CEO of HIMSS Analytics, the study
shows hospitals spent 7 percent less on healthcare IT than they had
allotted for in 2007. HIMSS Analytics estimated that in 2008
hospitals will spend roughly 3 percent of their total budgets on
healthcare IT, with urban and multi-hospital systems expected to
spend the most Ð somewhere between $22 billion and $32 billion.
On the low end, rural hospitals are expected to spend as much as $1
billion, while academic facilities may spend as much as $5 billion,
the study said.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=9487&fromRSS=true
Patient satisfaction enhanced with business intelligence
technology
dBusinessNews
Only a very small section of physicians in the US have adopted
Electronic Health Records (EHR) as a part of their daily practice.
However, majority of the physicians using these systems are happy
with the overall performance of their EHR, according to a national
survey, recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study, 'Electronic Health Records in Ambulatory Care - A
National Survey of Physicians', funded by a grant from the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation and supported by the Office of National
Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
http://boston.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?newsid=162135&type_news=latest
Survey reveals poor adoption of EHR by US
physicians
HealthNEWS
Only a very small section of physicians in the US have adopted
Electronic Health Records (EHR) as a part of their daily practice.
However, majority of the physicians using these systems are happy
with the overall performance of their EHR, according to a national
survey, recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study, 'Electronic Health Records in Ambulatory Care - A
National Survey of Physicians', funded by a grant from the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation and supported by the Office of National
Coordinator for Health Information Technology
http://www.healthnewsdirect.com/?p=354
When the ER flatlines
Kristen Gerencher, MarketWatch
Demand for emergency services has grown as people live longer
and with more chronic health conditions. But in many cases supply
hasn't kept pace or been utilized efficiently enough, experts say.
Still, patients and their loved ones have some recourse if they
fear a long wait will have dire consequences. Americans made more
than 115 million visits to U.S. emergency departments in 2005, up
20% from the 96.5 million visits reported a decade earlier,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The
number of emergency rooms shrank by about 9% during the same
period, with many closed for financial reasons.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121501550302223301.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Hospitals across Florida save as nurses go online to set
up their work schedules
Harry Wessel, Orlando Sentinel
Health First, Rockledge, Fla., is among a growing number of
hospital systems using Web-based scheduling programs for their
nurses and other shift employees. At least 300 hospitals across the
country are using them, and hundreds more are likely to start
within the next year or two.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-nurses2008jun20,0,5060029.story
Hospital rankings for positive press or for
real?
Sarah Arnquist, Healthcare Blog
Hospital & Health Networks magazine announced America's "100
Most Wired" hospitals for 2008 this week. Interestingly, four of
the top five hospitals are located in mid-size Midwestern cities,
and none of the top 10 are among the top 10 U.S. hospitals, as
ranked by U.S. News and World Report. Does that mean there's no
correlation between the best hospitals and the most wired
hospitals? Or does it just raise questions about the validity of
all these rankings? Hospital & Health Networks created the
"most wired" ranking a decade ago. This issue's cover story says
that wired hospitals have happier patients and higher quality
measures than their less technologically advanced peers.
http://www.thehealthcareblog.com/the_health_care_blog/2008/07/most-wired-hosp.html
Set the bar high
Maureen Larkin, HealthLeaders Media
Mistakes happen. We're humans, so they always will. But in order
to succeed in providing patients the best possible care, hospitals
must have effective leaders-leaders who are ready to admit mistakes
when they happen, as Levy did, and examine processes to make sure
they don't happen again. Good leaders know the value of true
transparency and are prepared to face family members of a wronged
patient and offer support to clinicians involved in the event. What
kind of bar have you, as a leader, set for your organization?
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/214891/topic/WS_HLM2_QUA/Set-the-Bar-High.html
Frank talk from Peter Waegemann
Cindy Atoji, Digital HealthCare & Productivity
In the journey toward electronic medical records, health care
organizations continue to be concerned about two big stumbling
blocks: cost and return on investment. These two persistent hurdles
are compounded now by the high cost of certification, says chief
executive C. Peter Waegemann of the annual TEPR (Towards the
Electronic Patient Record) conference. The high rate of
de-installation of EMR systems is also "outrageous" and
illustrative of user dissatisfaction with many systems. Never shy,
Waegemann, who leads the Boston-based Medical Records Institute,
spoke with Digital HealthCare & Productivity about the
cluttered EMR landscape and what lies ahead.
http://www.digitalhcp.com/2008/07/01/qa-peter-waegemann-ceo-tepr.html
The CEO as mentor
Kathryn Mackenzie, HealthLeaders Magazine
A growing number of organizations are discovering that formal
mentoring programs can help develop leadership talent and give
employees a better understanding of the entire business. Mentors
are leaders. And because they are leaders, they are also generally
problem solvers-which, Perrone says, can create an odd paradigm.
When people get into a mentoring position, their first instinct as
leaders is often to tell their protégés how to solve
a problem. Perrone says the hallmark of an effective mentor is
being able to shed the telling roll and don the roll of
teacher.
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/214974/topic/WS_HLM2_MAG/The-CEO-as-Mentor.html