Resources by BHM Healthcare Solutions

What Hospital Mergers Mean for You

February 25, 2015

It’s easy to hear the word ‘merger’ and think of negative associations. We think of the big, bad companies swooping in and buying out the helpless little guy who didn’t stand a chance. Right?
But when it comes to hospital mergers in 2015, it doesn’t always mean bad news. Mergers offer their fair share of benefits to both smaller organizations and the communities they serve. In this post, we’ll examine a few ways they do just that.

What Challenges Are Healthcare Leaders Facing This Year?

February 24, 2015

Here at BHM we are predicting that 2015 will be a year of change for many healthcare systems. With this change, healthcare leaders will be faced with many challenges, including complying with new federal regulations and making strategic moves towards better care. We’ve compiled a list of the five biggest challenges we foresee healthcare leaders facing this year.

Top 5 Telemed Trends for 2015

February 23, 2015

If you think young people are the only ones ready to embrace telemed technology and healthcare social media, think again! It might surprise you to know that the 60 + demographic of patients in the U.S. are quickly becoming the most eager to embrace the technology.
With good reason: many of these patients may be housebound as a result of their chronic conditions or, at the very least, are unable to drive to the office. This group of patients is quite eager to embrace remote technology, like Skype and email, as a means of communication to their healthcare providers. It’s not uncommon for these patients to have many doctors, sometimes across several states, and having the ability to communicate effectively without necessarily having to travel is a huge draw.

Financial Challenges: The Biggest Concern for Hospital CEOs

February 20, 2015

A recent study showed that for the 10th year in a row, financial challenges are #1 on hospital CEO’s list of concerns. More than healthcare reform, government mandates, and patient safety, the constant battle to be financially stable is the what keeps the healthcare C-suite up at night.
So what factors are contributing the the financial worries? Let’s take a look.

5 Issues Hospitals Must Overcome in 2015

February 19, 2015

In order for hospitals to be successful in 2015, there are a few very important issues that need to be addressed. Today, we’ll address 5 of the most pressing issues that will help hospitals overcome the obstacles to success.

HIPAA & Mandatory Risk Analyses

February 18, 2015

The results are in from the early HIPAA audits by Health and Human Services (HHS). Want to know what was the major weakness found by the government’s auditors? The compliance deficiency all-to-common among healthcare practices? It was, according to HHS, “the lack of a thorough risk analysis.”

Time after time, auditors would ask to see evidence that the covered entity had performed a risk analysis. And time after time, much to their dismay, the answer they heard was, “A what?”

Hospital Acquired Infections are Down–But Is It Enough?

February 17, 2015

It’s unclear whether President Obama’s request for funding to combat HAIs will be met by Congress, but regardless of whether or not the funding comes from the federal government, hospitals will need to find the money somewhere to continue investing in HAI prevention, especially as it becomes more inextricably linked with reimbursement as we march forward this year.

4 Trends for Rural Hospitals for 2015

February 16, 2015

Since 2010 there have been 47 rural hospital closures. The reasons behind the closures vary but the message rings true, rural hospitals are struggling. With difficulties from implanting EHR to the re-evaluation of Medicare reimbursements, rural hospitals are looking for new ways to stay afloat. Here are the top 4 trends we see effecting rural hospitals in 2015.

Pediatric HCAHPS Model, First of Its Kind

February 13, 2015

As payment continues to become more closely linked with patient experience and patient reported outcomes, the information gleaned from assessments such as the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) will be a major area of focus for hospitals and providers in 2015. One area that has not previously been included within the HCAHPS, or any federal or statewide assessments, is the perspective of parents of pediatric patients.

2015 Means an Increase in Medicare Penalties for Readmissions

February 12, 2015

For the third year in a row, Medicare will be increasing the percent penalty for hospitals who have high readmission rates: up now to 3% in 2015. Despite efforts through the ACA and readmission reductions programs, the rate of readmissions continues to rise.

Initially, Medicare attempted to stifle this by forcing hospitals to be transparent about their numbers. By making the number of readmissions public, the hope was that there would be a certain accountability and hospitals would then attempt to discern why their rates were so high. When this didn’t prove to drop the rates as much as Medicare would have hoped, they tacked on a financial penalty that hospitals would need to pay if their rates continued to rise.

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