The recent CMS discharge planning rule that went into effect in November 2019 included several changes aimed at improving care transitions and encouraging patients’ involvement in their follow-up treatment and care protocols. (Click here to review the rule in the Federal Register.) With those rules in place, it is now imperative for organizations to familiarize […]
Category: Cost & Quality
Coronavirus: How Can Hospitals Prepare?
Date:
February 3, 2020
Category:
Cost & Quality
Last week, the coronavirus that originated in the Chinese city Wuhan continued to spread. The World Health Organization declared a global emergency, and the first case of person-to-person virus transmission was recorded in the United States. The coronavirus outbreak is reminiscent of other viral outbreaks in recent memory, including Ebola in 2014, and SARS in […]
How Northwell Health Cut Down ED Boarding by 40%
By:
Vyshnavi Manda
Date:
January 30, 2020
Category:
Cost & Quality
Filed under:
bottlenecks, ED admissions, ED boarding, ED operations, efficiency, left without being seen, patient boarding
ED boarding continues to be an issue for hospitals and health systems in the United States. Many organizations struggle to streamline the ED and admission processes to facilitate improved efficiency. To learn more about the various practices some organizations are adopting to improve their boarding times, HBI spoke with Dr. John D’Angelo, the executive director […]
Best Practices for Addressing Shortage of Mental Health Services
Date:
January 21, 2020
Category:
Cost & Quality
HBI Report Reveals Best Practices for Addressing Shortage of Mental Health Services Every day, articles in the news highlight the need for greater access to mental health services. Rural areas in the United States are hit especially hard by a shortage of mental health professionals, but even residents of more populated areas face challenges in […]
4 Digital Solutions to Overcome Common Challenges Related to Diabetes
Date:
November 21, 2019
Category:
Cost & Quality
Diabetes is a common and costly problem in the United States: one in ten Americans suffer from diabetes and estimated direct and indirect medical costs were around $237 billion and $90 in 2017, according to a 2018 study by the American Diabetes Association. Indirect costs of diabetes include missed work due to poor health, poor […]
3 Successful Data-Driven Approaches to Spotting Sepsis
It should come as no surprise that one of the key factors in combating sepsis is recognizing it early on. To lay the ground for further improving sepsis recognition, the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) revised its guidelines, which primarily combine the 3-hour and 6-hour bundles into a single “hour-1 bundle.” This new bundle calls for […]
Expanding the Use of Telemental Health
By:
Vyshnavi Manda
Date:
August 21, 2019
Category:
Cost & Quality
Filed under:
care access, mental health, telebehavioral health, Telehealth, Telemedicine, telemental health
An increase in the use of telemedicine can be witnessed across the country, with a growing number of physicians getting involved in these services. According to a recent study on physician interest in telemedicine—which was published by Doximity—physicians reporting telemedicine as a skill they currently possess has almost doubled within a span of three years. […]
ICYMI: New England Journal of Medicine’s 2019 Guideline Watch Summary
By:
Bob Modlinski
Date:
July 31, 2019
Category:
Cost & Quality
Filed under:
Cardiovascular Disease, Clinical Guidelines, Flu Vaccine, Perinatal Depression, Protocols
Last month, the New England Journal of Medicine Journal Watch issued this year’s installment of their Guideline Watch, a collection of 13 clinical guidelines published within the last six months that hospitals and health systems should be most aware of. Their staff of clinician-editors review the latest medical journals and decide which guidelines will have […]
Simulation Training – The Next Step In Healthcare Education
With healthcare providers routinely facing challenges that demand efficient and skillful responses, providing experiential, hands-on training is imperative to ensure that they are properly prepared. A strategy for achieving this purpose—that organizations are increasingly looking at in recent times—is the use of simulation training. Adopting simulation in educational modules helps staff better handle various medical […]