| This week's sponsor is Sybase. |  | Mobility Advantage: Becoming an Unwired Enterprise
You see new smartphones and tablets everywhere. But are you still wondering what the benefits of mobilizing could be for your business? In this new white paper, we've outlined a few ways that mobility can transform how your business operates and competes. Get your copy now, compliments of Sybase. |
Today's Top Stories
1. Leaked Pioneer ACO draft proposal released
2. Tenet settles Katrina lawsuit on emergency unpreparedness for $25M
3. Execs split on ACO participation, reimbursement weighs on minds
4. Steward acquires another hospital in Massachusetts buying spree
5. Tips for improving physician integration culture Editor's Corner: What hospitals can learn from Disney customer service Also Noted: Fierce ACO eBook
Spotlight On... More money, fewer deaths, study finds
WHO: Healthcare is risky business; Illinois bans sex offenders from medical profession; and much more... News From the Fierce Network:
1. EHRs too cumbersome for eye docs
2. Patients' peeves consistent across borders
 | Forrester Analyst on Mobile Insights for Health Insurers – Drive Adoption and Improve Access to Care
Thursday, August 18, 2011, 2pm ET/ 11am PT Join Liz Boehm, principal analyst for Customer Experience in Healthcare and Life Sciences at Forrester Research, and Aaron Kaufman, general manager and vice president of Healthcare and Life Sciences at Kony, as they discuss current mobile adoption and ongoing mobile initiatives being driven by health insurers. Register today! |
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What hospitals can learn from Disney customer service
 What do hospitals have in common with Disney World? A lot, according to Patrick Jordan, healthcare consultant at Disney Institute.
After a career as a language pathologist and a senior vice president in administration, Jordan now works at the Disney Institute, helping healthcare organizations apply Disney's customer service approach to the patient experience. Although going on vacation to Disney World isn't quite the same as having surgery at a hospital, there's much hospitals can learn from the organization whose bread and butter comes from being the "happiest place on earth." Hear what Jordan has to say about how healthcare organizations can deliver Disney's reputed world-class service with leadership development and a golden-rule approach to employees.
FierceHealthcare: What is the Disney Institute, and how does it relate to the healthcare industry? Jordan: At the Disney Institute, we use what we call "Disney's chain of excellence." It's a model that we use to create and sustain a guest experience over time. We communicate this model to our cast members--we're an entertainment company so we use entertainment-based language; cast members are employees--to deliver the world-class service every day in our theme parks and resorts.
-> READ THE FULL Q&A Read more about: patient satisfaction, employee satisfaction, Disney Institute
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Events > Advance your Healthcare Career with Top Online Degrees
> Mayo Clinic's Conference on Systems Engineering and Operations Research in Health Care - Aug 10-12, 2011 - Rochester, MN
> 2nd Annual Medical Management in Medicare Advantage: Payer/Provider Collaborative Care Summit - August 25-26, 2011 - Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina, San Diego, CA
> AdvaMed 2011 - Register Now and Save 300! - September 26-28, 2011 - Washington, DC
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Today's Top News 1. Leaked Pioneer ACO draft proposal released
A leaked copy of the Pioneer Accountable Care Organization (ACO) draft proposal from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center has been published on The Hill today. As many speculated what the Shared Savings Program would hold, even more questions surrounded the accelerated Pioneer ACO program. The unofficial draft proposal indicates that patient choice will remain intact for the ACO-aligned population. "At all times, Medicare beneficiaries will remain free to select the providers and services of their choice. The Pioneer ACO payment model does not include any restrictions on or changes to Medicare fee-for-service benefits, nor does it include provisions for beneficiaries to opt out of alignment with an ACO for purposes of expenditure calculations and quality performance measurement," according to the 43-page document. "Any future possible provisions for beneficiaries to opt out of expenditure calculations and quality measurement will mirror those in the final regulations for the [Medicare Shared Savings Program]." In addition, providers worried that particularly chronically ill patients might affect savings. The draft indicates that ACOs will able to place caps on certain patients. "ACOs may elect to cap the expenditures incurred by an individual beneficiary to reduce the impact of beneficiaries who incur extraordinary claims on the average performance year expenditure of the ACO-aligned population."
In addition, various reference population trends will be factored in, including disability and age, for each performance year. Baseline expenditures will also change with each performance year and will be recalculated, an indication that CMS recognizes population changes from year to year. A major criticism of the Pioneer ACO program from doubtfuls is the timing of the program. The draft specifies that Sept. 30 (two months away) will be the deadline for participants to identify the preliminary aligned population.
To learn more:
- nread the full Pioneer ACO draft (.pdf)
- read The Hill article
Related Articles:
AMA warns of '90s time warp: ACOs need solid structure
Care coordination matters, even if you're not on ACO track
Docs group stuff ACO suggestion box with complaints
Eight things hospital CEOs should know about ACO regulations Read more about: Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), pioneer ACO model
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2. Tenet settles Katrina lawsuit on emergency unpreparedness for $25M
 In a lesson for hospitals everywhere, Tenet Healthcare Corporation's settlement for $25 million was preliminarily approved yesterday, to conclude a class-action lawsuit in which patients and families of victims trapped in Memorial Medical Center during Hurricane Katrina alleged Tenet's emergency preparedness at Memorial Medical was insufficient.
Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Rosemary Ledet, who approved the settlement, called the settlement "fair, reasonable and adequate," reports ProPublica. The number of class members is unknown. There were 187 patients and about 800 visitors in the hospital during the emergency. After the 2005 storm hit, there were 45 bodies found at the medical center. Some doctors said they injected patients with drugs to speed up their deaths, although no formal charges were brought against them, according to the article. Tenet denies the allegations in the case. According to the article, the hospital's backup generators failed, and rescue helicopters arrived two days after the hospital flooded. Tenet and hospitals solicited the help of FEMA, the Coast Guard, the National Guard, state officials and private ambulance companies, but attorneys said the government response was chaotic. According to U.S. Department of Health & Human Services reports, three-quarter of hospitals are now prepared for disasters, with 76 percent of hospitals that participate in the National Hospital Preparedness Program meeting 90 percent or more of measures for all-hazards preparedness in 2009. "Our country should overcome our federalist history and bring these [efforts] together on a national mission to respond to large-scale emergencies on a very fast responsive basis. It's doable," Clif Carothers, president of EPI-Center, Inc., a company that specializes in medical evacuation, and president of care transportation company U.S. Air Ambulance, said in an interview with FierceHealthcare. For more:
read the ProPublica article Related Articles:
Hospitals tap telehealth for disaster response
Hospital shows emergency preparedness after direct hit by tornado
U.S. healthcare system can't handle a massive radiation exposure Read more about: Hurricane Katrina, Tenet Healthcare, Class Action Lawsuit, disaster response
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3. Execs split on ACO participation, reimbursement weighs on minds
With an almost even split between joiners and non-participants or undecided respondents, healthcare executives this week revealed their intentions to participate or forgo the accountable care organization (ACO) Shared Savings program at the 19th Annual Health Forum and the American Hospital Association Leadership Summit. Respondents reported 45.5 percent will definitely join (18.2 percent) or probably will join (27.3 percent). On the flip side, 36.4 definitely will not join (11.4 percent) or probably will not (25 percent). The other 9.1 percent were unsure. Another study released this week by U.S. News and World Report estimated that healthcare executives were more likely or extremely likely to join ACOs at a combined 66.4 percent of respondents. Only 3.7 percent said that joining an ACO was not at all likely. According to the Summit poll, healthcare executives reported that hospitals will have to learn how to make money on Medicare-level reimbursement; 69.6 percent strongly agreed, and another 27.8 percent somewhat agreed. They also reported how they ranked the following initiatives as major priorities: electronic health records (93 percent), redesigning care delivery process and procedures (89.5 percent), advanced diagnostic technology (60.7 percent), advanced therapeutic technology such as the da Vinci (34.5 percent), and social media (30.4 percent). For more:
- read the H&HN article
- check out the survey (.pdf) Related Articles:
Hospital execs worried about EHR transition costs
MGMA: HIT, ACOs top medical practices' struggles
Hospitals exaggerate benefits of robotic surgery Read more about: Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), electronic health records, Healthcare Executives
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4. Steward acquires another hospital in Massachusetts buying spree
Continuing in a series of recent deals, Steward Health Care is at it again by announcing yesterday it will buy Saints Medical Center in Lowell, Mass., a 157-bed nonprofit hospital, reports The Boston Globe. "Steward's mission is to keep care in the community by investing in our hospitals, growing our world-class physician network and bringing the latest medical technology to the community hospital setting," said Steward CEO Ralph de la Torre in a press release, according to the article. "Joining our system will ensure that Saints Medical Center remains a financially strong hospital that provides world-class care and acts as an economic engine for the Greater Lowell community." The sale of Saints Medical Center is worth $98 million. Officials said the for-profit acquisition will not affect the 1,300 employee jobs at Saints, according to the article. The Saints deal follows a rash of Massachusetts hospital deals. A decade from now, it's likely that only three major players will be left in the state's healthcare arena, according to Robert Blendon, professor of health policy and political analysis, Harvard School of Public Health, in a Kaiser article. "There are mergers, consolidations, groups merging with larger groups, so when negotiations come, there are going to be very large players, even larger than the systems that most people envision," he said. To learn more:
- check out The Boston Globe article
- here's the AP article
- read the Kaiser article Related Articles:
Hospital files for bankruptcy as it prepares for sale
Steward Health Care Systems lays off workers after buyout
Steward spokesman: Letter of interest to purchase Jackson simply lapsed Read more about: massachusetts hospitals, Steward
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5. Tips for improving physician integration culture
The most sensitive aspect of physician employment, co-management, or merger is, arguably, the cultural clash that occurs between hospitals and physicians. To alleviate the challenges of hospital-physician integration, focus on leadership, teamwork, and communication, reports Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) magazine. By 2013, less than one-third of physician practices will remain independent, having elected to join larger hospital systems, according to a recent Accenture Health report. In addition, healthcare mergers and acquisitions has hit an all- time high in terms of dollar value. Making the most of this trend, merger and acquisition deals are 26 percent more likely to be successful if all participants pay attention to resolving cultural differences, according to a 1999 KPMG study, reports the HFMA article. Culture can run the gamut of treatment of patients, referring physicians, and employees; decision-making process; performance rewards; risk; and quality and costs. Hospitals and physicians should identify these cultural differences even before integration takes place, said Mike Valentine, a cardiologist from Lynchburg, Va., in the article. Just as important is identifying who the leaders are in the physician practice and the hospital. The merging organizations should use these representatives to drive the process and communicate every step to each other. The article suggests that, together, hospitals and physicians develop a measurable vision, understand the joint agreement, implement an organizational communication plan, analyze results, and measure cultural alignment. For more:
- read the HFMA article
Related Articles:
How to change hospital-physician alignment taboo
Three practice-integration tips from the trenches
Ohio health system rides wave of physician integration Read more about: mergers and acquisitions, Physician Integration
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Also Noted
SPOTLIGHT ON... More money, fewer deaths, study finds Perhaps to the dismay of budget holders, a new study published in Health Affairs indicates that more public spending reduces preventable deaths. Researchers looked at 3,000 local public health agencies and found that mortality rates fell between about 1 percent and 7 percent for each 10 percent increase in local public spending. "However, more money by itself is unlikely to generate significant and sustainable health gains; improvements in public health practices are needed as well," states the study. In related news, a study published this week revealed that more spending did not result in better Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores. Health Affairs study > Calling healthcare a "high-risk business," the World Health Organization yesterday said that going to the hospital is riskier than flying, with a higher rate of mortality, reports Reuters. Article > Medical providers and psychologists should have a seat at the healthcare reform discussion table because accountable care organizations will require care coordination across provider lines, according to a University of Missouri public health expert. Press release > With a loss of $26.5 million last year, Baystate Health in Massachusetts is eliminating 354 positions, that is, 3.5 percent of its workforce, reports The Boston Globe. Article > Tufts Medical Center in Boston named new CEO Eric J. Beyer to take the reins of the 415-bed hospital. Last year, the hospital reported a profit of $5.3 million, reports The Boston Globe. Article
> Illinois legislation banning health licenses for sex offenders was signed into law yesterday, reports the Quad-City Times. The new state law could possibly eliminate one step during the credentialing process, as well as protect patients from unsafe situations and hospitals from liability. Article More heat wave troubles come to hospitals, including Jordan Hospital in Plymouth, Mass., which lost air conditioning and had to postpone surgeries, reports WCVB TV 5. Report And Finally... Stop the presses! Beer is officially called alcohol in Russia. Article > Forrester Analyst on Mobile Insights for Health Insurers - Thursday, August 18, 2011, 2pm ET/ 11am PT Join Liz Boehm, principal analyst for Customer Experience in Healthcare and Life Sciences at Forrester Research, and Aaron Kaufman, general manager and vice president of Healthcare and Life Sciences at Kony, as they discuss current mobile adoption and ongoing mobile initiatives being driven by health insurers. Register today!
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> Advance your Healthcare Career with Top Online Degrees No time to commute to class? No problem. Drexel University Online offers quality programs you need to succeed - all with 24/7 online convenience! A 130-year leader in nursing education, Drexel's College of Nursing & Health Professions offers a variety of online degrees and certificates. For a listing of programs visit: http://www.drexel.com/ > Mayo Clinic's Conference on Systems Engineering and Operations Research in Health Care - Aug 10-12, 2011 - Rochester, MN > 2nd Annual Medical Management in Medicare Advantage: Payer/Provider Collaborative Care Summit - August 25-26, 2011 - Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina, San Diego, CA With over 200 attendees at our launch event, our Collaborative Care Summit has established itself as one of the premier Medical Management conferences. Our 2011 program will continue to provide the "next generation" medical management tactics that Health Plans, Hospitals and Physician Group's require in the current economic climate.As the chronically ill make up more of the Medicare Advantage population, hospital readmissions have become a significant financial challenge. Learn more. > AdvaMed 2011 - Register Now and Save 300! - September 26-28, 2011 - Washington, DC Whether you focus on compliance or business development, marketing, finance or regulatory affairs, AdvaMed 2011 is where medical device and diagnostic industry stakeholders come to do business, share best practices, and influence policy. Don't miss out. Early registration ends Aug. 5th. www.AdvaMed2011.com
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> Mobility Advantage: Becoming an Unwired Enterprise You see new smartphones and tablets everywhere. But are you still wondering what the benefits of mobilizing could be for your business? In this new white paper, we've outlined a few ways that mobility can transform how your business operates and competes. Get your copy now, compliments of Sybase. Download now. > eBook: ACOs: The Game-changing Lessons That Payers & Providers Have Already Learned This eBook from FierceHealthcare delves into the many unknowns surrounding the controversial model of accountable care – from startup costs and IT requirements to care coordination and payer involvement. Click here to download this eBook now!
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> Decision Support Administrator The Decision Support Administrator is responsible for working directly with the Revenue Cycle Director and practice leadership to identify and advance strategic initiatives for the ambulatory arm of the health system. The Analyst works closely with the practice leadership to provide support related to decision support tools, analytic techniques, data nuances, and methodologies of analysis. Learn more. > Client Services Director The Client Services Director is responsible for leading the improvement strategies for Cleveland Clinic. This is accomplished though applying proven quality improvement strategies and methodologies. The Client Services Director will bring expertise and experience to the organization, partnering with system and hospital senior leadership to improve organizational outcomes and meet strategic goals. Learn more. > Interface Analyst Team Lead This position will provide leadership and direction for the implementation of the Epic Inpatient Environment. This role will leverage the existing Ambulatory and ASAP Epic Systems and OpenLink environment to integrate the new Epic Inpatient Clinical, Pharmacy, Operating Room Systems. Responsibilities of the project will include developing the technical specifications and components of the interfaces, testing, documentation, outlining the data flows and the implementation and support of the Epic Integrated Environment. Learn more. > Epic – Business Systems Analyst – Ambulatory Electronic Medical Records Duties will include workflow analysis, building, training, troubleshooting, go-live & post go-live support & optimization. The successful candidate will be able to manage their daily duties while offering exceptional on-site customer support. This position will be required to work on & off-site and have the ability and experience to interface with a wide variety of personalities, as well as understanding the complex office and clinical workflow structure. It is imperative that the candidate is able to thrive on a tight schedule and have the proven ability to complete projects on time. Learn more. > Epic Tester – Senior BSA The Senior Business Systems Analyst/Epic Tester is primarily responsible for management of the EPIC EHR testing process by applying project management discipline to the entire project lifecycle. This position will identify critical success factors, establish goals and objectives, manage and meet the expectations of stakeholders, as well as manage the scope, timeline, cost and quality factors associated with the testing initiatives. Learn more. > Epic Orders and/or ASAP (ED) - Clinical Business Systems Analyst We are currently looking for full-time Clinical Business Systems Analysts (BSA) to join our Epic Inpatient EMR teams. Prior experience implementing clinical applications or one of the following areas is required. Epic experience and certification is strongly preferred - Orders, HOD or ASAP. Learn more. > Certified Epic Bridges – Interface Analyst The Interface Analyst will provide support for new interfaces and the maintenance of the interfaces currently supported by the Interface Team. Additional responsibilities of the Interface Team include assessing the organizational needs, troubleshooting, supporting and recommending solutions to integration issues as they arise in a 24/7 environment. Learn more. > Epic Clarity Reporting Analysts We are seeking individuals that will be active participants in the development and implementation of the full suite of reports for Epic Inpatient Project. A variety of skills including Epic Reporting Workbench, Epic Clarity, Chronicles, and Crystal Reporting writing will be utilized on the Reporting Team. A background with the full cycle deployment of Business Intelligence tools will also be utilized. Learn more. > Epic Program Director This position reports directly to the CIO and directs the work of the project leadership and staff in their respective applications/departments. The Epic Program Director maintains the scope and work plan and ensures that all milestones and deliverables are on time and budget, as well as tasked with the internal communication of project strategies, high level deliverables, plans, and schedules. Learn more. > EPIC Professionals: Over 150 Opportunities Kelly Healthcare and Kelly IT Resources are collaborating with an esteemed North Carolina Academic Medical Center Implementing the EPIC Electronic medical record system offering 150 employment opportunities. These Direct Hire positions will provide qualified IT and Healthcare professionals the opportunity to work on a cutting edge system and gain valuable experience they will be able to use for the rest of their careers. Candidates will actively contribute to design, development, implementation and analysis of the EPIC System. Learn more. > Epic HIM Business Systems Analyst The Epic HIM Analyst is responsible for the building, testing, training and support of Lee Memorial Health System's Epic HIM systems. The HIM Analyst reports directly to the HIM Team Leader and implements the work of the project as directed by leadership. The Epic HIM Analyst will ensure the optimal system build and use functions to support the HIM department and workflow. Learn more. > Need a job? Need to hire? Visit FierceHealthcareJobs |
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