April 2020 Issue of Becker's Hospital Review
ON THE COVER
What hospitals can learn from Airbnb to promote innovation: Dr. John Halamka discusses
Every Sunday night John Halamka, MD, flies out of Boston to Rochester, Minn. He stays in a 600-square foot apartment that's about a five-minute walk from Mayo Clinic where he is working as the health system's inaugural president of Mayo Clinic Platform. On Thursday night, Dr. Halamka flies back to Boston where he spends Friday, Saturday and much of Sunday on his farm.
Physician recruitment has a 'Cheesecake Factory' problem: What that means, and how 3 CEOs are solving it
Forget signing bonuses and relocation packages. The latest litmus test physicians are using to evaluate job offers involves chain restaurants and medical mission trips.
What the .org sale could mean for healthcare
With the nonprofit Internet Society's November announcement of its intent to sell control of all .org domains to private equity firm Ethos Capital for $1.1 billion, .org users have expressed outrage and worry about the potential impacts of the sale.
Patients' Most & Least Recommended Hospitals
At least 20 percent of patients at these 15 hospitals said, "No, I would probably not or definitely not recommend the hospital," according to the most recent HCAHPS scores.
5 healthcare leaders reveal simple changes that saved money
Hospitals and health systems consistently monitor costs amid today's industry trends and changing reimbursement environment.
Lawmakers, Patients and Staff Blast HCA's Takeover of Mission Health
Patients, staff and elected officials are raising concerns about HCA Healthcare's management of Mission Health one year after the for-profit company acquired the Asheville, N.C.-based health system.
45 financial benchmarks for hospital executives
Hospital leaders across the nation use benchmarking as a way to determine the areas of their business that need improvement. The continuous process of benchmarking allows hospital executives to see how their organizations stack up against local and regional competitors as well as national leaders.
19 Healthcare Leaders Weigh in on How to Ensure Employee Satisfaction
Employee satisfaction plays a key role in the culture of hospitals and health systems. However, ensuring this satisfaction requires concerted efforts on behalf of organizations.
Calling out tokenism: 9 thoughts
Tokenism, the practice of doing something only to prevent criticism and give the appearance that people are being treated fairly, comes in many forms.
Houston Methodist CMIO: How transformational innovation is 'bringing the joy back to healthcare'
Nicholas Desai, MD, is the chief medical information officer of Houston Methodist, where he leads the health system's wide variety of clinical IT and innovation efforts.
South Carolina hospital hit with lawsuit following malware attack
Patients of Georgetown, S.C.-based Tidelands Health have filed a class-action lawsuit claiming the health system failed to protect their personal health information following a malware attack, according to local ABC affiliate WPDE.
Healthgrades' best 50 US hospitals for 2020
Healthgrades has released its America's Best Hospitals rankings for 2020. Three lists feature America's 50, 100 and 250 best hospitals, which represent the top 1, 2 and 5 percent of hospitals in the nation, respectively. To compile the lists, Healthgrades analyzed the performance of nearly 4,500 U.S. hospitals in treating 32 conditions and procedures, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and sepsis.
What hospitals may be getting wrong about physician performance reviews
Annual performance reviews for physicians often use counterproductive performance metrics that do not align with healthcare organizations' main values and strategic goals, according to Medscape.
Bechara Choucair, MD
Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente is seeking to address trauma and stress in schools through a new partnership with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and Discovery Education.
Barbara Griffith, MD
Barbara Griffith, MD, is just over 90 days into her tenure as CEO of Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge, La. Dr. Griffith has 20 years of clinical experience as an emergency medicine physician and over 15 years of leadership experience. Most recently, she was CMO and chief of business operations at Durham, N.C.-based Duke Regional Hospital. Dr. Griffith also previously served as medical staff president of Duke Regional Hospital and CFO of its physician practice.
Rhonda Medows, MD
Population health capabilities span well beyond data aggregation, and at Ayin Health Solutions, a spinout of Renton, Wash.-based Providence, data insights driven from patient populations are used to help healthcare clients on a full-service scale, according to CEO Rhonda Medows, MD.
Barry Ostrowsky
Hospitals and health systems are seeking partners left and right to pool resources, combine strengths and come out on top in an increasingly competitive environment. The goals of these partnerships are often lofty — they involve innovation, care coordination, patient access, cost efficiency and quality. With the stakes high and regulatory concerns complex, striking an agreement often takes years, pushing any potential improvements off onto a distant horizon. But lengthy negotiation processes don't have to be the norm and, in fact, shouldn't be the norm in an industry that is begging for transformation and disruption.
Thomas Shanley, MD
Ann and Robert Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago welcomed Tom Shanley, MD, to the role of president and CEO in December, after longtime leader Patrick Magoon retired.
Rick Majzun
As senior leaders in complex healthcare organizations, we have an enormous privilege. Each day, we support thousands of wonderful people doing amazing work taking care of patients and their families. We set the pace for change. We speed it up, and when appropriate, we slow it down. We are equally charged with managing things simple and complex. We have a small number of key responsibilities: achieving our missions, making our margins and taking care of our people. However, we sometimes forget that the last point — taking care of our people — should always be the first point.
Michael Dowling
"We're our own dragons as well as our own heroes, and we have to rescue ourselves from ourselves." My colleagues in healthcare may relate to those words, written by author Tom Robbins. They apply to any leader in any sector of healthcare. As the CEO of New York's largest health system, I see all too clearly how the decisions we make each day can either push the industry forward or set it back.
Saju George
Since the beginning of his healthcare career, Saju George has been devoted to making a difference in the lives of others. He continues to exercise this dedication as a regional CEO overseeing Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare's Michigan hospitals and medical groups.
CFO / FINANCE
CMS cuts payments to 786 hospitals over high rates of infection, injury
CMS will trim 786 hospitals' Medicare payments in fiscal year 2020 for having the highest rates of patient injuries and infections.
IRS revokes hospital's tax-exempt status
The Internal Revenue Service recently determined a hospital no longer qualified for a tax exemption after selling its assets, according to Law360.
Pennsylvania hospital loses license
Ellwood City (Pa.) Medical Center's provisional license with the Pennsylvania Department of Health has expired, and it can no longer operate, according to the Ellwood City Ledger.
Bankrupt California health system lays off 920 employees
More than 900 workers lost their jobs when Verity Health, a nonprofit system based in El Segundo, Calif., closed one of its hospitals last month.
Adventist Health cuts 651 California jobs amid outsourcing push
Roseville, Calif.-based Adventist Health is cutting 651 jobs at 13 locations across the state, according to the Sacramento Business Journal. The job cuts, expected to take effect March 7, are a result of the system closing several of its in-house services.
CEO/STRATEGY
Why pharmacy leaders at RWJBarnabas Health eat lunch together each day
Workplace culture is critical to the success of any hospital and health system. It not only affects the business of an organization, but also has the potential to affect clinical quality and employee satisfaction.
5 things to know about Walmart Health
Walmart has expanded its footprint in the primary care market in the past six months by opening two standalone health centers.
Physician recruitment has a 'Cheesecake Factory' problem: What that means, and how 3 CEOs are solving it
Forget signing bonuses and relocation packages. The latest litmus test physicians are using to evaluate job offers involves chain restaurants and medical mission trips.
True or false? 6 statements on healthcare trends, verified by PwC
PwC's Health Research Institute released its annual report on trends that are most and least likely to affect the healthcare industry in 2020.
Here's what bipartisan healthcare reform could look like: 5 notes
A Washington, D.C., think tank believes it may have cracked the code to bipartisan healthcare reform. The Bipartisan Policy Center issued a report this month after convening policy experts, actuaries, healthcare leaders and providers, state officials, and consumer organizations. The path to reform focuses on building on today's system, a path the group chose based on voter preference. BPC conducted a poll that showed most voters preferred building on the current system over repealing the ACA or implementing a single-payer plan. The group also felt it was important to avoid major disruptions to patient care.
WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP
Calling out tokenism: 9 thoughts
Tokenism, the practice of doing something only to prevent criticism and give the appearance that people are being treated fairly, comes in many forms.
WSJ study: CEO feeder jobs are overwhelmingly male
A study conducted for The Wall Street Journal by Equilar shows women are underrepresented in jobs that are considered pipelines to the CEO role, which could explain some of the gender gap at companies' highest levels.
Gender pay gap for physicians widening, researchers can't explain why
New research documents an unexplained, growing disparity in pay between male and female physicians at the outset of their careers.
An equitable way to pay physicians? Structured salaries only, Mayo suggests
Mayo Clinic's review of 2,845 physicians' pay suggests a structured, salary-only compensation model, which the system has used for more than 40 years, effectively eliminates pay disparities.
A 'very, very fine line': How the gender 'double bind' affects workplace feedback & 3 strategies to stop it
Women have long juggled contradictory expectations. Being too nice means women aren't taken seriously, and being too assertive means they are labeled difficult. Research shows this double bind prevents women from receiving the candid feedback they need to advance in the workplace.
INNOVATION
Innovationeering: The six degrees of innovation
Nine decades ago, Hungarian playwright and poet Frigyes Karinthy proposed the concept of "six degrees of separation," in which he maintained that all world citizens are only six or fewer social connections away from one another.
Innovation stakes have never been higher, IT leaders agree: Accenture report
Among key tech trends for the months and years to come is the need for organizations to strengthen their "innovation DNA," as emerging technologies, IT skills and ideas increasingly determine future success, according to a new Accenture report.
Molina Healthcare opens social determinants-focused innovation center
Molina Healthcare launched a new center in Columbus, Ohio, dedicated to developing innovative programs and services to address social determinants of health, the Long Beach, Calif.-based organization announced Jan. 30.
Houston Methodist CMIO: How transformational innovation is 'bringing the joy back to healthcare'
Nicholas Desai, MD, is the chief medical information officer of Houston Methodist, where he leads the health system's wide variety of clinical IT and innovation efforts.
Anthem joins IBM-backed quantum computing hub
Anthem will become the second founding member — and the first healthcare organization — to join the quantum computing-focused IBM Q Hub at Raleigh-based North Carolina State University, per a Feb. 10 news release.
CIO/HEALTH IT
What the .org sale could mean for healthcare
With the nonprofit Internet Society's November announcement of its intent to sell control of all .org domains to private equity firm Ethos Capital for $1.1 billion, .org users have expressed outrage and worry about the potential impacts of the sale.
Google, Amazon raise 2 more reasons to worry about your IT talent
Both Google and Amazon announced plans this week to add thousands of jobs to their respective workforces in the coming years, potentially intensifying the ongoing tech talent war in the U.S. and Canada.
Cerner sells software products to German company for $248M
Cerner will sell a portion of its software products for about $248 million to CompuGroup Medical, a German healthcare software company, according to a Feb. 5 Kansas City Business Journal report.
Haven has been quiet for the past 2 years — what does that mean for healthcare?
On Jan. 30, 2018, three dynamic companies partnered with the goal of revolutionizing healthcare delivery and lowering costs. Since then, we haven't heard much from them about the venture.
Jonathan Bush: Epic's opposition to HHS' interoperability rules is 'indisputably cynical'
Epic's recent campaign over privacy concerns against HHS' proposed interoperability rule is "indisputably cynical," said Jonathan Bush, executive chairman of Firefly Health, according to Politico's Jan. 31 Morning eHealth newsletter.
CMO/CARE DELIVERY
The nation's top 22 patient-recommended hospitals
The following hospitals were the top patient-recommended hospitals in the country, according to the most recent HCAHPS scores. Pennsylvania had five highly recommended hospitals, more than any other state.
Children's Wisconsin physicians say execs knew of issues with child abuse team
After a news investigation claimed a Milwaukee hospital's child abuse diagnosis process was problematic, physicians criticized hospital administrators and claimed leadership had been previously aware of such issues, NBC News reports.
7th mold-related death at Seattle Children's reported
A 6-month-old baby at Seattle Children's Hospital died Feb. 12 after she developed a mold-related infection acquired at the hospital, according to KOMO News.
The 15 US hospitals patients are least likely to recommend
At least 20 percent of patients at these 15 hospitals said, "No, I would probably not or definitely not recommend the hospital," according to the most recent HCAHPS scores.
Suicide risk higher among nurses than general public
Nurses are at a higher risk for suicide compared to the general public, suggest the findings of a new study published Feb. 3 in Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Kaiser hopes to improve childhood mental health across 25,000 US schools: SVP Dr. Bechara Choucair explains new partnership
Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente is seeking to address trauma and stress in schools through a new partnership with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and Discovery Education.
Meet new Woman's Hospital CEO Dr. Barbara Griffith: 7 questions on strategy & leadership
Dr. Griffith has 20 years of clinical experience as an emergency medicine physician and over 15 years of leadership experience. Most recently, she was CMO and chief of business operations at Durham, N.C.-based Duke Regional Hospital. Dr. Griffith also previously served as medical staff president of Duke Regional Hospital and CFO of its physician practice.
How Providence is pushing population health beyond data and building comprehensive care strategies
Population health capabilities span well beyond data aggregation, and at Ayin Health Solutions, a spinout of Renton, Wash.-based Providence, data insights driven from patient populations are used to help healthcare clients on a full-service scale, according to CEO Rhonda Medows, MD.
RWJBarnabas Health President and CEO Barry H. Ostrowsky: The case for finding a trusted partner and diving in headfirst
Hospitals and health systems are seeking partners left and right to pool resources, combine strengths and come out on top in an increasingly competitive environment. The goals of these partnerships are often lofty — they involve innovation, care coordination, patient access, cost efficiency and quality. With the stakes high and regulatory concerns complex, striking an agreement often takes years, pushing any potential improvements off onto a distant horizon. But lengthy negotiation processes don't have to be the norm and, in fact, shouldn't be the norm in an industry that is begging for transformation and disruption.
Lurie Children's new CEO Dr. Thomas Shanley: We're starting to see the consequences of ignoring pediatrics
Ann and Robert Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago welcomed Tom Shanley, MD, to the role of president and CEO in December, after longtime leader Patrick Magoon retired.
HOSPITAL & HEALTH SYSTEM EXECUTIVE MOVES
25 hospital, health system executive moves
Becker's Hospital Review reported the following hospital and health system executive moves in the last week:
HOSPITAL & HEALTH SYSTEM TRANSCATIONS
15 Key Trends and Issues for Hospital and Health System Transactions
On almost any business day, healthcare industry spectators can expect to read a story about one hospital or health system partnering with another.