As the HITECH Act’s regulations go into place, healthcare practices must implement eHealth initiatives such as Electronic Health Records (EHR). Besides meeting federal requirements, EHR can, if used properly, provide many benefits for healthcare practices.
Many healthcare providers are gearing up in 2015 for the HIPAA enforcement that's slotted to take place throughout the year. In fact, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) anticipates receiving 17,000+ complaints this year filed for breaches of private patient information. As of early December 2014, 1,170 security breaches under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act involving 31 million records had been reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)--so the problem of data breaches is very real. Enforcement can come with serious fines for violations, too. Accidental violations can cost anywhere from $100-$50,000...even on the first offense. So what should you be on the lookout for? In this post, we'll discuss some of the main areas you should beef up security around to prepare for HIPAA enforcement.
Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) is on the mind of many, if not all, hospital administrators and executives. With the roll out ICD-10 and the changes to reimbursement models, new RCM solutions are becoming critical for hospitals hoping to survive through 2015.
To an onlooker, it's easy to mistake a robust, high-tech hospital as a stable entity; however, hospitals face a myriad of high-pressure challenges. From juggling the changing healthcare system to the source of hospital funding, the obstacles faced by hospitals can be daunting.
Do physicians make the best hospital CEOs? Should hospital CEOs come from a business background? It's a debate that has been brewing in the healthcare industry for years and it doesn't have one answer. In 2014, only 5% of hospitals were run by doctors, while the majority of hospital administrators came from outside the healthcare profession.
One of the biggest misconceptions in medicine right now, which also happens to be one of the most costly, is that the patient’s care ends when they are discharged. The truth is, often times it’s what happens (or doesn’t happen) when a patient goes home that determines their outcome. Whether they end up readmitted or not, the key metric of 2015 is one that you might not even be aware you’ve been missing.
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.
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.
When it comes to hospital and health system revenue cycles, there are many strategies you can approach to help put things on a positive trajectory. Whether they are changes small or large, they all impact the organization's financial standing. But today, we've pulled together only the very best tips for increasing profitability.
At the top of every healthcare organization is the C-suite: The CEO, CFO, CIO...you get the idea. And thanks to their elevated positions, they have the power to make real, impactful change on the healthcare environment. Through their leadership, skill sets, and unique vision, the healthcare c-suite is helping move healthcare in new directions.