August 2019 Issue of Becker's Healthcare Review
ON THE COVER
Why zero harm is a realistic goal for every hospital
The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare has a single, important mission: help health systems reach zero harm.
Michigan hospital CEO Luanne Thomas Ewald on the 'alarming' dearth of pediatric mental healthcare
Luanne M. Thomas Ewald, CEO of Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, discusses the pediatric mental health crisis, exciting new advancements in healthcare and leadership advice she has never forgotten.
Michael Dowling: 5 suggestions for technology companies, venture capitalists
It's time to challenge the negative healthcare narrative.
UnityPoint Health's ambulatory division chief Dr. Dave Williams: 'Don't get distracted by the ups and downs of the industry'
Dave Williams, MD, joined Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health in 2001 as a general pediatrician.
70 critical access hospital CEOs to know | 2019
Becker's Healthcare is pleased to recognize the following 70 CEOs, presidents and administrators of critical access hospitals.
Epic and Humana partner: 5 things to know
Electronic health records provider Epic and health insurer Humana have teamed up to improve patient and provider communication as well as access to health information.
These 10 physician specialties generate the most revenue for hospitals
The amount of revenue physicians generate for hospitals is typically considerably more than their annual salaries, according to a recent survey by physician staffing firm Merritt Hawkins.
Patients may have worse outcomes when surgeons act unprofessionally
Patients of surgeons who act unprofessionally in the operating room are more likely to experience surgical complications, according to a study published in JAMA Surgery.
Vermont health system files for bankruptcy
Springfield (Vt.) Medical Care Systems filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on June 26.
Trump demands transparency on healthcare costs: 7 things to know
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that aims to lower healthcare costs by improving price transparency.
California hospital's future depends on 'tower of shame'
Construction stalled in 2015 on a new patient tower at the former Tulare (Calif.) Regional Medical Center, and the unfinished project was the focus of a 2016 grand jury report titled "Tower of Shame."
Kaiser to build new headquarters
Kaiser Permanente revealed plans to build new headquarters in Oakland, Calif., where the healthcare giant has been based since 1945.
House votes to lift ban on funding for national patient identifier
The U.S. House of Representatives voted June 12 to end the ban on using federal funds to create a national patient identifier.
CFO / FINANCE
UPMC enters unprecedented 10-year contract with Highmark
Pittsburgh rivals UPMC and Highmark entered into an agreement that allows Highmark members to access UPMC hospitals and physicians at in-network prices for the next decade.
Sanford Health, UnityPoint to merge: 5 things to know
Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health and Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health signed a letter of intent June 27 to combine the two systems, according to The Wall Street Journal.
HCA fires back in lawsuit over ER 'cover charge'
HCA Healthcare argues a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging the company and several of its hospitals bill patients an emergency room "cover charge" should be thrown out.
Trump demands transparency on healthcare costs: 7 things to know
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that aims to lower healthcare costs by improving price transparency.
ProMedica's operating loss more than triples in Q1
Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica's operating performance for the first quarter of 2019 fell short of the performance for the same three-month period of 2018, according to financial documents released June 12.
70% of Cerner clients say they wouldn't use the vendor's RCO services again
Seventy percent of Cerner customers said they would not use the information technology vendor's revenue cycle outsourcing services again, according to a recent KLAS Research report.
These 10 physician specialties generate the most revenue for hospitals
The amount of revenue physicians generate for hospitals is typically considerably more than their annual salaries, according to a recent survey by physician staffing firm Merritt Hawkins.
Vermont health system files for bankruptcy
Springfield (Vt.) Medical Care Systems filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on June 26.
California hospital's future depends on 'tower of shame'
Construction stalled in 2015 on a new patient tower at the former Tulare (Calif.) Regional Medical Center, and the unfinished project was the focus of a 2016 grand jury report titled "Tower of Shame."
Uber Health chief: With 1,000+ partners, the question is no longer, 'What the heck is Uber doing in healthcare?'
Four million medical appointments are missed or delayed every year because patients can't get to their appointments due to transportation, data shows. That's $150 billion in cost to the healthcare system each year that rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft are looking to address.
Sutter Health sued for allegedly sharing patients' health data with Facebook, Google
Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health patients filed a lawsuit against the health system for allegedly sharing patients' private information, attained through the health system's website, with technology giants such as Facebook and Google, Courthouse News Service reports.
'Injuries are pretty common here': Oregon hospital employees see spike in work-related injuries
Employee injuries from patient-related incidents in 2018 rose to a five-year high at Oregon State Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Salem, amid ongoing concerns about staffing levels, according to the Statesman Journal.
Georgia health system was blindsided by 12-cardiologist exodus
A new report from The Gainesville Times reveals Gainesville-based Northeast Georgia Health System is still not sure what caused the sudden departure of 12 cardiologists earlier this month.
CEO / STRATEGY
Top Erlanger execs face no-confidence vote from medical staff
Physicians who oversee care quality and safety at Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Erlanger Health System unanimously approved a no-confidence vote in several of the health system's executives last month, according to the Times Free Press.
Mercy hospital system to cut jobs, restructure
Chesterfield, Mo.-based Mercy health system is cutting jobs in a restructuring move, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Kaiser to build new headquarters
Kaiser Permanente revealed plans to build new headquarters in Oakland, Calif., where the healthcare giant has been based since 1945.
Uber Health chief: With 1,000+ partners, the question is no longer, 'What the heck is Uber doing in healthcare?'
Four million medical appointments are missed or delayed every year because patients can't get to their appointments due to transportation, data shows. That's $150 billion in cost to the healthcare system each year that rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft are looking to address.
CIO/HEALTH IT
House votes to lift ban on funding for national patient identifier
The U.S. House of Representatives voted June 12 to end the ban on using federal funds to create a national patient identifier.
26 UHS hospitals experience Cerner EHR outage
Twenty-six Universal Health Services hospitals had limited access to their Cerner-based EHR systems June 21 following "technical problems" at one of the EHR vendor's data centers, Bloomberg reports.
Epic and Humana partner: 5 things to know
Electronic health records provider Epic and health insurer Humana have teamed up to improve patient and provider communication as well as access to health information.
Google, U of Chicago hit with lawsuit over patient data sharing
The University of Chicago Medical Center and Google were served with a lawsuit on June 26 that alleges the hospital violated HIPAA by sharing thousands of patients' records with the technology giant without hiding date stamps or physicians' notes, according to The New York Times.
Change Healthcare ups IPO to $1B: 5 things to know
Change Healthcare is again increasing its initial public offering to more than $1 billion after the health technology company raised it to $200 million in May, Nashville Business Journal reports.
Sutter Health sued for allegedly sharing patients' health data with Facebook, Google
Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health patients filed a lawsuit against the health system for allegedly sharing patients' private information, attained through the health system's website, with technology giants such as Facebook and Google, Courthouse News Service reports.
2 New York healthcare providers lose EHR access following ransomware attacks
Both Olean (N.Y.) Medical Group and Seneca Nation Health System in Salamanca, N.Y., have lost access to their computer and EHR systems following recent cyberattacks on the organizations, Olean Times Herald reports.
CMS' first health informatics chief out after 4 months on the job
Mark Roche, MD, is leaving his role as CMS' chief health informatics officer after four months on the job, according to Politico's Morning eHealth newsletter.
CMO/CARE DELIVERY
'Injuries are pretty common here': Oregon hospital employees see spike in work-related injuries
Employee injuries from patient-related incidents in 2018 rose to a five-year high at Oregon State Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Salem, amid ongoing concerns about staffing levels, according to the Statesman Journal.
Nurses raise patient safety concerns at U of Chicago Medical Center
Nurses at University of Chicago Medical Center claim the hospital is violating several laws linked to staffing and overtime, which poses a threat to patient safety.
Patients may have worse outcomes when surgeons act unprofessionally
Patients of surgeons who act unprofessionally in the operating room are more likely to experience surgical complications, according to a study published in JAMA Surgery.
MD Anderson patient died after contaminated blood transfusion, CMS says
A 23-year-old leukemia patient died after receiving a contaminated blood transfusion at MD Anderson Cancer Center, according to a CMS report made public June 24 and cited by the Houston Chronicle.
Training lapses may have led to rise in C. diff infections at VA hospital: 5 findings
Failure to adequately train housekeeping staff may have contributed to growing rates of potentially deadly infections at Loma Linda, Calif.-based Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital, according to a report released June 18 from the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General.
Georgia health system was blindsided by 12-cardiologist exodus
A new report from The Gainesville Times reveals Gainesville-based Northeast Georgia Health System is still not sure what caused the sudden departure of 12 cardiologists earlier this month.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Michigan hospital CEO Luanne Thomas Ewald on the 'alarming' dearth of pediatric mental healthcare
Luanne M. Thomas Ewald, CEO of Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, discusses the pediatric mental health crisis, exciting new advancements in healthcare and leadership advice she has never forgotten.
Michael Dowling: 5 suggestions for technology companies, venture capitalists
It's time to challenge the negative healthcare narrative.
UnityPoint Health's ambulatory division chief Dr. Dave Williams: 'Don't get distracted by the ups and downs of the industry'
Dave Williams, MD, joined Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health in 2001 as a general pediatrician.
Electronic health records provider Epic and health insurer Humana have teamed up to improve patient and provider communication as well as access to health information.