Community Benefit
A recent New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) study points to a new pilot program that offers payment models that may encourage hospitals to better coordinate transitions of care, resulting in fewer readmissions.
On Wednesday the acting U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank announced the four recipients of the 2012 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, which includes one healthcare network.
Following the devastation of post-tropical storm Sandy last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued blanket waivers of particular requirements that include all hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, hospice and end-stage renal disease facilities in the areas of New York and New Jersey that were strongly affected by the storm.
On Oct. 5, the Federal Trade Commission held a daylong workshop to examine the ways pet medications are distributed in the U.S. and how the current practices affect consumer choice and price competition.
In October, a panel of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) experts joined moderator Steve Monroe, managing editor and partner of research and publishing firm, Irving Levin Associates, for a question-and-answer session about buying, selling and valuing SNFs. Here are some of the insider tips and perspectives offered during the 90-minute webcast:
The nation's complex healthcare system is often challenging for those who work in it. For those who don't - patients - a new brand of companies is rising up to help. Patient navigation companies may be patient-centric but they will impact the way the traditional healthcare system does business.
A study published last week by The Commonwealth Fund found that hospital sustainability efforts could save the healthcare industry up to $5.4 billion over five years and $15 billion over 10 years.
Patient participation in the payment for healthcare services has become more complex and challenging for healthcare providers. It is critical that providers receive payment in full for the services they provide as quickly as possible by overcoming some of the basic challenges in the payment collection process and by better understanding their customers and their propensity to pay.
As it looks to both reduce out-of-pockets costs for employees, while also lowering its total healthcare costs, global retailer Walmart announced last month a new program that will pay 100 percent of the costs for certain spine and cardiac surgeries plus travel expenses at six selected healthcare systems across the country.