In the light of the first-ever confirmed Ebola case in the United States, questions of procedure and preparedness are humming throughout all fifty states. The patient, a Liberian man who had left Africa and arrived in Texas before symptoms began, has become the center of media attention this week. So to, has the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital become something of a media darling - in so far as they are being heavily scrutinized.
For many healthcare organizations, the emergency room is the hub of high-speed drama and intrigue, and with these qualifiers comes the reality of financial impact. An emergency department’s ability to consistently bring in revenue will either make or break it - so, how can hospitals assure that they’re throughput is sufficient?
For many hospitals, the emergency room is the busiest place for both staff and patients. Overcrowding, long wait times and inefficient care plague a lot of U.S. hospitals and there is a growing need for solutions. Not only is the overutilization costing money, but it is affecting patient satisfaction scores, meaning that hospitals aren’t meeting their annual measures. Of course, there are times in the life of any emergency room, when it’s unavoidably busy: during summer months, hospitals that are in prime vacation areas need to plan for an influx of one-time patients. In the event of a disaster or outbreak of communicable illnesses in a community, utilization of emergency room services are certain to skyrocket. But what about in general, when physicians find that they are treating patients who, ultimately, do not need emergency services - meaning that patients who do are left in a lurch?
Build It - And They Will Come? Maybe Not. It’s no secret to anyone in the healthcare industry that there’s a huge emphasis on patient satisfaction scores these days - predominantly because they are so closely linked with reimbursement in the new healthcare landscape. Hospitals are taking ‘satisfaction’ a step further- how about patient aesthetic?
What are your healthcare provider pain points? What are you doing to overcome them? What advice can you offer your colleagues? From a provider perspective, healthcare, as we know it, is changing rapidly. At times your head might be spinning when you think about the impacts of the Affordable Care Act as well as other healthcare legislation. How can you be sure the priorities you have established will help you comply and meet all established deadlines? What do you feel are the most critical pain points you are facing? You may be a physician’s office, you may be a hospital or healthcare system, you may be a rehab facility. All of these providers are experiencing similar issues, which vary from one degree to another. Let’s delve into a few of these.
Healthcare technology is changing faster than most organizations can keep up. What are you doing to comply? Healthcare technology is a rapidly changing field. Some of the changes are required to comply with current regulations while others are to gain a competitive advantage. Lets’ delve into a few of these areas.
A standardized definition for quality has been elusive; though most will agree that the term “quality” in healthcare refers to the patient’s overall experience, or, encounter with the healthcare system.
Strategic planning for a healthcare organization needs to incorporate several focuses, but a great place to start is by defining your core values. An organization's core values guide all members of the healthcare system as they work to bring the best care possible to their communities. By defining core values, they can share these with patients and the mission becomes clear to all.
The market is rife with products that claim to be secure enough for a healthcare organization, but this can be difficult to verify. The companies responsible for creating some of the top notch EMRs on the market are also piloting projects around “mobile health” , but physicians and hospital administration remain wary.
