Community Benefit

With over 47 million residents in the U.S. whose primary language isn't English it stands to reason that all hospitals and healthcare clinics will encounter multilingual patients. Increasing state and federal requirements for communicating with limited English speakers have challenged hospital administrators to find cost-effective solutions.

According to a recent study published in the October issue of Health Affairs, comparative effectiveness studies of widely used treatments can change practice patterns, thereby reducing healthcare costs.

The Medicare program could save billions in the next decade if care models are restructured says a newly released analysis commissioned by a nonprofit, national consortium of home healthcare organizations.

Accountable care organizations are complicated, but the ins and outs of the care model have been discussed long enough. Healthcare organizations are now at a point where they have to focus on specific areas of ACOs to reduce cost and benefit patients say two healthcare consultants.

By implementing evidence-based blood transfusion guidelines and industry-wide standardizations at hospitals, there is an opportunity for hospitals to save millions annually in blood purchasing costs alone.

A new social network connects baby boomers to health resources and has the potential of saving costs for patients and the healthcare industry through better health.

Transitions in care can have significant financial impact on healthcare organizations. As technology improves and business paradigms shift, organizations have an opportunity to reduce costs and improve care quality. However, challenges await: it's not easy to make improvements in care transitions.

Donations to U.S. nonprofit hospitals and healthcare systems grew 8.2 percent last year, totaling $8.941 billion, said a report released this week by the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy.

Twelve Iowa cities and towns are applying to be the second group of demonstration sites for the Blue Zones project, an experiment in trying to improve health and well-being by Healthways and with funding assistance from health insurer Wellmark.

With an increasing demand for home care services, home care businesses have been springing up in communities across the country. And with the rapid expansion of these largely unregulated businesses questions about the industry's hiring practices have begun to surface.