Beckers Hospital Review

Danbury Hospital's 6 Strategies to Manage Increasing ED Volume

sabrina@beckersasc.com (Sabrina Rodak) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:25:14 GMT

Beginning next year, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will expand insurance coverage to those currently uninsured, which will ultimately result in nearly 30 million newly insured Americans. Emergency departments account for approximately half of hospital admissions, according to a recent RAND Corp. report. This fact, combined with the potential for many hospitals to close under financial pressure from sequestration and reimbursement cuts, means EDs need to be prepared to manage an influx of visitors.

Growth in Healthcare Prices, Costs, Jobs at a Crawl

jmclaughlin@beckershealthcare.com (Jim McLaughlin) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:54:34 GMT

U.S. healthcare prices in April 2013 were 1.1 percent higher compared with the previous April — making last month's growth rate the lowest its been since November 1997 and half a percent slower than the year-over-year growth rate in March, according to the latest data from the Altarum Institute's Health Sector Economic Indicators reports.

30 Strategies to Target Top 10 Patient Safety Issues

sabrina@beckersasc.com (Sabrina Rodak) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:50:57 GMT

Authors of an AORN Journal article recommended strategies to address the top 10 safety issues reported in a 2012 survey of members of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses.

Meeting the HIPAA Omnibus Rule Compliance Deadline: What Providers Need to Know

laura@beckersasc.com (Laura Miller) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:16:57 GMT

By Holly Carnell, JD, Associate and Meggan Bushee, JD, Associate at McGuireWoods.

Significant changes have been made to the privacy and security obligations of providers with respect to patients’ protected health information with the release of the Omnibus Final Rule on January 17, 2013. With the Omnibus Rule, the Department of Health and Human Services made important changes to the privacy and security requirements under HIPAA and the HITECH Act, including creating a new breach standard, clarifying the definition of a business associate, and implementing the increased liability and penalty structure mandated by the HITECH Act. Except with respect to certain grandfathered business associate agreements, covered entities and business associates are required to come into full compliance with the Omnibus Rule by September 23, 2013. With this compliance deadline quickly approaching, providers need to take the steps discussed below to ensure that they will be in full compliance by the deadline.

NCQA Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Changes to PCMH Standards

hpunke@beckershealthcare.com (Heather Punke) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:33:57 GMT

The National Committee for Quality Assurance is taking input from the public on proposed changes to its Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition program.

3 Must Haves for Sustainable Employee Engagement

lindsey@beckersasc.com (Vicki Hess, RN, MS, Principal, Catalyst Consulting) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:29:56 GMT

We've all seen the big storm brewing in healthcare. It's growing bigger every day. From financial cutbacks to new models of care to electronic medical records and more, healthcare leaders are facing unprecedented change.

Ashley Regional Medical Center Names Ben Cluff CEO

avaidya@beckershealthcare.com (Anuja Vaidya ) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:50:42 GMT

Ashley Regional Medical Center in Vernal, Utah, part of Brentwood, Tenn.-based LifePoint Hospitals, announced that Ben Cluff has been appointed its new CEO, effective July 15.

MetroWest Medical Center CEO Andrei Soran Leaves Post

avaidya@beckershealthcare.com (Anuja Vaidya ) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:37:05 GMT

Framingham, Mass.-based MetroWest Medical Center CEO Andrei Soran announced that he is leaving his post to take on a new role at Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanguard Health Systems, according to a report by The Milford Daily News.

Glens Falls Hospital Names Dianne Shugrue President and CEO

avaidya@beckershealthcare.com (Anuja Vaidya ) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:33:58 GMT

Glens Falls (N.Y.) Hospital has appointed acting CEO Dianne Shugrue as permanent president and CEO, according to a Post Star report.

St. Anthony's Medical Center Names Michael Rindler CEO

avaidya@beckershealthcare.com (Anuja Vaidya ) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:30:28 GMT

St. Anthony's Medical Center in St. Louis announced that its board of directors has named Michael E. Rindler CEO.

Cottage Health System to Acquire Sansum Clinic, Medical Foundation

jmclaughlin@beckershealthcare.com (Jim McLaughlin) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:29:39 GMT

Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Cottage Health System announced it has signed a letter of intent to integrate outpatient surgery network Sansum Clinic, also based in Santa Barbara, into its organization.

AMA Announces Dr. Ardis Dee Hoven as President

avaidya@beckershealthcare.com (Anuja Vaidya ) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:26:43 GMT

The American Medical Association has announced that Ardis Dee Hoven, MD, will serve as the 168th president of the association.

GAO: Health Insurance Exchange Rollout Behind Schedule

jmclaughlin@beckershealthcare.com (Jim McLaughlin) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:20:22 GMT

The Government Accountability Office released two reports evaluating the rollout of the healthcare reform law's health insurance exchanges at state and federal levels, finding CMS is behind schedule for some of the 34 federally facilitated exchanges it must set up and open for business by Oct. 1.

Better Medication Use Could Save U.S. $213B Per Year

jmclaughlin@beckershealthcare.com (Jim McLaughlin) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:16:20 GMT

Improvements on six "levers of opportunity" in medication utilization could have reduced healthcare spending enough to save the U.S. $213 billion in 2012, according to a report by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics.

Turnaround Firm Takes Over Chicago's Sacred Heart After CEO's Arrest

molly@beckersasc.com (Molly Gamble) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:19:49 GMT

Sacred Heart Hospital in Chicago is now under the management of a turnaround firm after its CEO and CFO were arrested on fraud charges in April, according to a Crain's Chicago Business report.

Affinity Medical Center Nurses Seek to Delay EHR Implementation

hpunke@beckershealthcare.com (Heather Punke) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:12:38 GMT

Massillon, Ohio-based Affinity Medical Center is set to implement an electronic health record system this weekend, but the hospital's nurses, represented by the National Nurses Organizing Committee in Ohio, an affiliate of National Nurses United, are seeking to delay the June 21 implementation date.

Report: Telemedicine Patients More Likely to be Urban, Affluent, Educated

hgregg@beckershealthcare.com (Helen Gregg) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:08:27 GMT

Telemedicine users are more likely to have college degrees, be relatively affluent and live in an urban area, according to a report released by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

State Websites Don't Share Most Useful Healthcare Prices, Study Says

molly@beckersasc.com (Molly Gamble) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:03:07 GMT

Although more state agencies are posting prices for healthcare services, the information is often for urgent and unpredictable care — meaning consumers still have a difficult time cost-comparison shopping — according to study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Capital Medical Center, Union Reach Contract Agreement

hpunke@beckershealthcare.com (Heather Punke) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:01:19 GMT

Olympia, Wash.-based Capital Medical Center and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21 have agreed on a new three-year contract, according to a Business Examiner report.

Dr. Atul Gawande Launches Healthcare Think Tank

molly@beckersasc.com (Molly Gamble) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:55:46 GMT

Atul Gawande, MD, a surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and a respected healthcare writer, has launched his own think tank to address childbirth and end-of-life issues, according to a WBUR report.