February 2017 Issue of Becker's Hospital Review
On the Cover
113 Hospital and Health System CIOs to Know
Becker’s Hospital Review is pleased to release the 2017 edition of its list of Hospital and Health System CIOs to Know. Click here to continue.
Executive Briefings
Cryoballoon Technology: Reducing Atrial Fibrillation’s $26B Cost to the US Health System, One Hospital at a Time
How Patientory Uses Blockchain to Keep Data Secure and Help Connect Patient
Taking Control of Secure Personal Health Information Transfe
How Analytics and Smart Technology Can Help Hospitals Recruit and Retain Top-Tier Talent
CIO/Health IT
6 Largest HIPAA Settlement Fines of 2016
2016 served as evidence of two looming and growing issues in health IT: data breaches and HIPAA settlements. Click here to continue.
Houston Methodist CEO: Technology to Blame for Escalating Healthcare Costs
During an economics conference in Houston in December, Houston Methodist CEO Marc Boom, MD, argued advances in technology are a major contributor to escalating U.S. healthcare spending, reports Houston Chronicle. Click here to continue.
Why the Phrase ‘Can I Ask You a Question?’ Drives athenahealth CEO Jonathan Bush Nuts
How do you respond when someone approaches you and says, “Can I ask you a question?” Click here to continue.
The Growth of Telehealth: 20 Things to Know; US Supreme Court to Hear Epic Overtime Case
Although telehealth has been gaining traction in recent years, there is no set definition. Click here to continue.
CHIME, HIMSS Names Children's Health's Pamela Arora CIO of The Year
Pamela Arora, CIO of Dallas-based Children's Health, is the 2016 John E. Gall, Jr. CIO of the Year. Click here to continue.
McKesson, Change Healthcare Unveil Name of Newly Merged Company
Following the close of an antitrust investigation into their merger, McKesson and Change Healthcare have revealed the name of and branding decision behind their combined tech company. Click here to continue.
Officials: No Hacker Skills Needed for Data Breach in NH Psychiatric Hospital
The former New Hampshire Hospital patient who allegedly accessed information for up to 15,000 people on a computer in the hospital’s library did not need any special computer skills to obtain the information, according to state officials. Click here to continue.
Intermountain Healthcare Leverages Telehealth for Infectious Disease Care
Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare improves infectious disease care and antibiotic prescriptions through its Infectious Diseases TeleHealth program, according to a post on the health system’s blog. Click here to continue.
2016 Averaged 1 Healthcare Data Breach Per Day
There was an average of one health data breach per day in 2016, according to the Protenus Breach Barometer, which utilizes information from DataBreaches.net. Click here to continue.
Global Precision Medicine Market to Soar to Nearly $173B by 2024: 8 Key Trends
The global precision medicine market is anticipated to experience strong growth through 2024, according to Persistence Market Research. Click here to continue.
Car Crashes Into a Pole, Bringing Down Epic EHR at Jefferson Healthcare
A car crashed into a utility pole in Poulsbo, Wash., on Dec. 31, affecting healthcare and telephone services in the area, according to PTLeader.com. Click here to continue.
CEO/Strategy
As Health Systems Take on More Risk, How Does Executive Recruiting Change? 4 Thoughts
The growing momentum behind the transition from volume- to value-based healthcare has put certain leadership traits and competencies in greater demand for executives to successfully guide their organizations forward. Click here to continue.
Hospital Uncompensated Care Costs Fall to Lowest Level in 26 Years: 4 Things to Know
From 1990 through 2015, U.S. hospitals' uncompensated care costs totaled $704.7 billion, according to a recent American Hospital Association report. Click here to continue.
Cleveland Clinic: IBM Partnership Will Not Result in Mass IT Layoffs
Cleveland Clinic is pushing back against rumors that its partnership with IBM will set in motion widespread job cuts among the system's IT employees, The Plain Dealer reported. Click here to continue.
Activist Hedge Fund Buys 8.3% Stake in The Advisory Board Company
Elliott Associates — an "activist" hedge fund — bought an 8.3 percent share of The Advisory Board Company on Jan. 11, according to a 13-D filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Click here to continue.
The Thing About Organizational Culture Most People Get Wrong
People generally understand organizational culture as something that unifies people around a set of norms, behaviors and values. Click here to continue.
AHA CEO Rick Pollack: How to Redefine the Hospital for the Future
It is time to redefine the “H,” according to American Hospital Association President and CEO Rick Pollack. Click here to continue.
Why People Skills Matter Again
Social skills have made a comeback in the labor market in the 2000s compared to the mid1980s and 1990s, according to a new working paper published by The National Bureau of Economic Research and featured by FiveThirtyEight.com. Click here to continue.
Surgical Care Affiliates, OptumCare to Merge
Deerfield, Ill.-based Surgical Care Affiliates is merging with Optum, a health services company and part of UnitedHealth Group. Click here to continue.
Geisinger CEO Dr. David Feinberg: ‘I’d Like To Eliminate the Waiting Room and Everything It Represents’
Jaws dropped last November when Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger Health System CEO David Feinberg, MD, announced the organization would begin offering refunds to patients for less than satisfactory experiences. Click here to continue.
CFO/Finance
20 Health Conditions People Spent Most on in 2013 — and What the Bulk of Their Money Went Toward
Of 155 medical conditions, people personally spent $1.2 trillion on the top 20 alone in 2013, according to a new analysis published in JAMA. Click here to continue.
UMass Memorial Points to Epic Implementation for Drop in Operating Income
Worchester, Mass.-based UMass Memorial Health Care saw revenue increase in fiscal year 2016, but the system said costs associated with implementing an Epic EHR system dragged down operating income. Click here to continue.
A State-by-State Breakdown of 80 Rural Hospital Closures
Of the 25 states that have seen at least one rural hospital close since 2010, those with the most closures are located in the South, according to research from the North Carolina Rural Health Research Program. Click here to continue.
UHS Loses 20% of Its Market Cap After BuzzFeed Investigative Report
King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services’ stock has plunged 20 percent since Dec. 7, when BuzzFeed published an investigative story alleging UHS’ psychiatric hospitals put profits ahead of patients. Click here to continue.
Mayo Clinic to Give Delayed Pay Raises
Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic has disclosed it will implement “salary adjustments” for its allied health staff, the Post Bulletin reports, though they won’t immediately take effect. Click here to continue.
Texas Hospital to File for Bankruptcy as Debt Mounts
North Texas Medical Center in Gainesville is taking drastic measures to keep its doors open. Click here to continue.
CHS on Track to Overcome Financial Troubles, Says CEO
Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems CEO Wayne Smith has a positive outlook on the company's future, despite a rocky 2016. Click here to continue.
CMO/Care Delivery
Where Are CMS' New Overall 5-star Hospitals?
When CMS updated the formula used in its Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating program in December, the number of hospitals that received the highest possible overall rating fell from 112 in October to 83 in December. Click here to continue.
Where Are CMS' New Overall 1-star Hospitals?
When CMS updated the formula used in its Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating program in December, the number of hospitals that received the lowest possible rating of one star fell from 121 in October to 112. Click here to continue.
Bill Gates Says Next 10 Years Will Be High Risk for Antibiotic-Resistant Pandemic
As antibiotic-resistant superbugs continue to spread across the globe, people everywhere — especially those in the developing world — are vulnerable to pandemics, according to billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates. Click here to continue.
Meet the Mesentery — the Newly Identified Human Organ
Researchers have identified a new organ in the human digestive tract — the mesentery — that had been hiding in plain sight for years, according to a paper in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology. Click here to continue.
Female Cardiologists Experience 3 Times More Discrimination Than Male Counterparts
Though both men and women in cardiology report high levels of job satisfaction, female cardiologists were less likely to report career advancement than their male counterparts, according to survey published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Click here to continue.
SK&A: 20 Medical Groups With the Most Physicians — Kaiser Permanente Medical Group Tops the List
SK&A released the 2017 update of its “Top 50 Medical Groups: Market Insights Report” in January. Click here to continue.
FDA Bans Powdered Gloves: New Rule Took Effect Jan. 18
Following through on a rule proposed in March, the Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule Dec. 19 banning powered gloves for healthcare workers, as they “present an unreasonable and substantial risk of illness or injury.” Click here to continue.
49 Hospitals With the Lowest Readmission Rates
Even though recent studies have called into question if low readmission rates are a sign of a high-quality hospital, hospitals in the U.S. are still financially punished for high readmission rates as part of CMS’ Hospital Readmission Reduction Program. Click here to continue.
Geisinger Finalizes Medical School Partnership
Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger Health System now has a medical school. Commonwealth Medical College is officially part of the health system, Penn Live reports. Click here to continue.
Thought Leadership
6 Thoughts on Leadership From Dr. Michael Ugwueke, President and CEO of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
Dr. Michael Ugwueke led Memphis, Tenn.-based Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare as president and COO since May 2014, and on Jan. 1 he assumed the role of president and CEO of the system. Click here to continue.
5 Questions With Deanna Wise, CIO of Dignity Health
San Francisco-based Dignity Health CIO Deanna Wise believes CIOs need to look beyond technology in the hospital and instead readjust their focus on what the consumer wants and needs. Click here to continue.
Remaining Independent and Competitive in Today’s Healthcare Environment: 5 Questions With Marin General CEO Lee Domanico
Grreenbrae, Calif.-based Marin General Hospital wouldn’t be what it is today without Lee Domanico. Click here to continue.
The CEO's Role in Tech and Cybersecurity
The rapid evolution of technology is changing the way virtually every business run. Click here to continue.
The Corner Office: Children’s Hospital of Orange County CEO Kim Cripe on the Value of Unfettered Curiosity
"It was OK." Click here to continue.