December 2015 Issue of Becker's Hospital Review

On the Cover

Year In Review

Health IT in 2015: 10 CIOs on the highs and lows
IT has gone from a back-office function to an indispensable element of healthcare, but as an industry health IT is still maturing; and every industry goes through growing pains. Click here to continue >>

50 Best Healthcare Quotes of 2015
From the King vs. Burwell decision to hackers to superbugs, healthcare has not been short on action in 2015, nor have its top players been short on commentary to qualify it. Click here to continue >>

Executive Briefing

Misdiagnoses and diagnostic imaging: 2 hospital CEOs on subspecialty radiology's role 
Most Americans will experience a diagnostic error at least once in their lifetime, according to the Institute of Medicine's September report "Improving Diagnosis in Healthcare." Click here to continue >>

Finance

1,800 hospitals see payment bump under value-based purchasing: 10 things to know 
The Medicare Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program, established under the Affordable Care Act, is intended to encourage hospitals to provide high-quality care more efficiently by adjusting payments to hospitals based on the quality of care they provide. Click here to continue >> 

Study: Financial physician-hospital integration associated with higher prices 
Over the past decade, physician-hospital integration has increased significantly — often to boost referrals and adjust to new payment models, as well as shield physicians from the growing costs of independent practice. Click here to continue >>

Moody's: Distressed public hospitals burdened by board turnover, regulations 
Public hospitals many times have more cumbersome governance structures than private hospitals, which can have negative credit implications, according to a recent report by Moody's Investors Service. Click here to continue >>

Average point-of-service collections increase to $1.8M in FY 2014: 4 things to know 
The Advisory Board Company has released its latest Revenue Cycle Survey at its inaugural technology summit Amplify. Click here to continue >>

Tuomey dodges $237M false claims verdict by settling with DOJ: 10 things to know
Tuomey Healthcare System has agreed to pay the federal government $72.4 million to settle False Claims Act allegations, allowing the Sumter, S.C.-based system to avoid a $237 million judgment entered against it and upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in July, according to the Department of Justice. Click here to continue >>

The 'halo over nonprofits' is gone and 3 other takeaways from recent Stark Law settlements
Two Florida health systems, each of which faced Stark Law and False Claims Act allegations, entered into settlements with the Department of Justice in recent weeks. Click here to continue >>

11 recent hospital bankruptcies and closures
Here are 11 hospitals and health systems that filed for bankruptcy protection or closed since August. Click here to continue >>

Whistle-blower physician: 'We have got to get hospitals out of the business of hiring doctors'
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Broward Health, formerly North Broward Hospital District, agreed to pay $69.5 million last month to settle allegations brought by Michael Reilly, MD, and the Department of Justice in a federal lawsuit. Click here to continue >>

13% of rural hospitals vulnerable to closure: 5 things to know
Nearly 60 rural hospitals across the nation have closed in the last 10 years, and many others are facing financial troubles that might send them down the same path. Click here to continue >>

Executive Leadership

A hospital worker has the most satisfying job in the world — You'd be surprised which one
Why do we work? The obvious answer is to make a living. But is this the whole answer? Click here to continue >>

13 healthcare leaders named 'Best-Performing CEOs in the World'
The Harvard Business Review released its 2015 list of the 100 Best-Performing CEOs in the World, an annual ranking intended to be a measure of enduring success. Click here to continue >>

10 hospitals that get the most positive buzz on Twitter
A new website has been monitoring hospitals' activity on Twitter and has sourced a list of 10 hospitals that get the most positive tweets. Click here to continue >>

What is a CEO's No. 1 source of worry?
What does Uber have to do with CEOs? Click here to continue >>

Illinois Hospital Association, Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council to merge in January
The boards of the Illinois Hospital Association and the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council have authorized the organizations to create a statewide, integrated body called IHA, which will begin combined operations in January 2016. Click here to continue >>

Executive Briefing

The TeraMedica Division of FUJIFILM Medical Systems: A new power in the VNA market
FUJIFILM Medical System U.S.A., Inc. offers a diverse portfolio of products ranging from digital X-ray and mammography to endoscopy and medical informatics. Click here to continue >>

Care Delivery

Dartmouth-Hitchcock exits Pioneer ACO program: 10 things to know
Lebanon, N.H.-based Dartmouth-Hitchcock health system is pulling its accountable care organization out of Medicare's Pioneer Program, following suit of 13 other organizations that have dropped out since the initiative's start in 2012. Click here to continue >>

2 more Pioneer ACOs drop the program: 4 things to know
Medicare's Pioneer accountable care organization pilot program now dwindles to just 16 participants from the original 32, following the drop out of two more Boston-based ACOs: Steward Promise and Mount Auburn Cambridge Independent Practice Association, according to The Boston Globe. Click here to continue >>

Opinion: Don't call physicians 'providers'
As more non-physician clinicians join the frontlines, the term "provider" has become an all-encompassing term for physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and others. Click here to continue >>

Medication errors occur in half of all surgeries: 7 study findings
Even at a prestigious academic medical center like Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, medication errors and adverse drug events prove problematic. Click here to continue >>

10 most common patient complaints, grievances with hospitals
Patients are continually asking hospitals to be treated like people, according to Peter Pronovost, MD, PhD, director of the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality and senior vice president for patient safety and quality at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medicine. Click here to continue >>

Safety-net hospital patients have worse outcomes: Study suggests 'intrinsic qualities' are to blame
A new study suggests the "intrinsic qualities" of safety-net hospitals lead to surgical care that is inferior and more expensive. Click here to continue >>

Number of 5-star hospitals decreases dramatically in CMS Hospital Compare update
CMS updated its Hospital Compare database Oct. 8 with new patient experience survey results, and the number of hospitals receiving a five-star HCAHPS summary rating is down significantly since the last update in July. Click here to continue >>

Health Information Technology

Jumping ship: Why hospitals switch EHR vendors & how to handle the aftermath
Selecting and implementing an EHR is a serious commitment. Click here to continue >>

A Year in EHR Contracts, Go-Lives
The following EHR vendor contracts and go-lives occurred this past year. Click here to continue >>

KLAS ranks top 10 EHR vendors by interoperability
"Are we lifting together?" That's what the latest interoperability report by analytics firm KLAS asks major EHR vendors. Click here to continue >>

11 most innovative companies, according to the C-suite
Innovation is the driving point for all organizations, regardless of industry. Click here to continue >>

Walgreens selects Epic EHR for healthcare clinics
Retail healthcare giant Walgreens plans to transition to Epic's EHR platform in its more than 400 healthcare clinics across the country. Click here to continue >>

Allscripts posts modest 3% revenue bump, 17% profit growth in Q3
Chicago-based Allscripts released its financial information for the third quarter of 2015, posting slight gains in revenue and profit from the same quarter the previous year. Click here to continue >>

Executive Briefing

Reality Check: Why it is Time to Address the Patient Identification Process at the Source to Stop Bleeding Money and Putting Patients at Risk
Patient identification errors jeopardize patient safety and result in costly and long-lasting ramifications for providers. Click here to continue >>

Thought Leadership

 5 questions with retiring Memorial Hermann Health System CEO Dan Wolterman
Leading an organization through high-stakes change is no easy feat. Click here to continue >>

6 questions with Dr. Mike Schatzlein of Ascension Health
Michael Schatzlein, MD, is a man of many hats. So many, it's a wonder he has time to wear them all. Click here to continue >>

Chuck Lauer: Do your homework on the effects of aging
"What a drag it is getting old." That was Mick Jagger's scorching remark at age 23. Click here to continue >>

The corner office: Dr. Rod Hochman of Providence Health & Services on preserving humility in leadership
When it comes to exceptional leadership, there are a few key ingredients. Click here to continue >>

Executive Moves

Hospital & Health System Transactions