From the editor
Dear Healthcare Intelligence Network Client,
Most Americans want to manage their healthcare information electronically, but not at the expense of losing face time with their doctors.
At least that’s what the results of a new survey from Accenture Health show: a hefty 90 percent of patients prefer to monitor their medical information, refill prescriptions and book appointments online via e-mail, Web sites, and mobile devices.
Not only aren’t the majority of Americans willing to sacrifice personal interactions with their physicians, but they aren’t sure how they want their records managed. And a third admitted that they didn’t know if they could access electronic tools like ‘bill pay.’ More results from this survey inside this week’s issue.
Closer management is also key to a new tool from the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare, designed to improve patient handoffs. Data shows that an estimated 80 percent of serious medical errors result from miscommunication between caregivers when patients are transitioned from one facility to another. In addition to patient harm, defective handoffs can lead to delays in treatment, inappropriate treatment, and increased length of stay in the hospital. This new tool, which monitors current organizational handoff processes and provides proven solutions, has been effective in reducing readmissions and hospitalization time, and increasing patient, family and staff satisfaction.
Managing costs is at issue in a new global survey from Towers Watson, showing that the cost of providing employee medical benefits is rising at double-digit levels everywhere in the world but Europe, which is anticipating only single-digit increases. The survey goes on to state the reasons for these increases, and avenues that medical insurers are taking to contain their costs, including implementing wellness programs and health promotion strategies.
And young adults are letting their parents manage their healthcare coverage. According to a new study from Indiana University economists, children ages 19 to 25 are taking advantage of the ACA ruling that private insurance policies offer to cover dependents’ children up to age 26. The report goes on to cite other findings, including the gender, marital status and ethnicity of children being covered.
And how do you manage your asthmatic population? Asthma accounted for nearly half a million hospitalizations in 2009 and nearly 2 million ED visits; the estimated total cost of asthma in the United States in 2007 amounted to $56 billion. Describe your organization’s efforts to manage what is one of the most common, lifelong chronic diseases by July 27, 2012 and you’ll receive a free e-summary of our survey results once it is compiled.
Your colleague in the business of healthcare,
Cheryl Miller
Editor, Healthcare Business Weekly Update
Please send comments, questions and replies to
cmiller@hin.com.
Associate Editor: Jessica Papay, jpapay@hin.com
Publisher: Melanie Matthews, mmatthews@hin.com
>>Return to top
HIN podcasts
HIN blog
HIN videos
New HIN products
Contact HIN:
www.hin.com
(888) 446-3530
(732) 449-4468
Fax: (732) 449-4463
Email: info@hin.com
This week's featured download: 2012 Trends in Embedded Case Management Putting a Face on Care Coordination
2012 Trends in Embedded Case Management Putting a Face on Care Coordination
For advertising and sponsorship opportunities in the Healthcare Business Weekly Update, please e-mail sales@hin.com or call 888-446-3530
>>Return to top
|
July 9, 2012
Vol. XIV, No. 25
Sponsored by:
Bending the Cost Curve with a Commercial Value-Based Payment Contract A Case Study from Advocate Physician Partners
This week's industry news:
- Young Adult ACA Mandate Triggered Dramatic Increase in Parental Employer Coverage
- Health Reform 2011
- Patient Hand-off Tool Effective in Reducing Readmissions, Hospital Stay
- Guide to Reducing Medicare Readmissions, Vol. II
- Healthcare Business White Paper: The ICD-10 Compliance Challenge
- Most Patients Want to Self-Manage Healthcare Online: Survey
- New Chart: Who's Responsible for Improving Medication Adherence?
- 2011 Benchmarks in Population Health Management
- Medical Costs Continue to Rise at Double-Digit Levels Around the World
- Guide to Health Risk Assessment and Stratification
- Dartmouth-Hitchcock Nurses Help Bridge Transition, Care Gaps
- Population Health Management Tools for ACOs
- New Diabetes Management Video Offers 4 Ideas for Weight Control
- HealthSounds Podcast: The Patient-Centered Medical Home Lessons from a Statewide Rollout
Please pass this along to any of your colleagues or, better yet, have them
sign up to receive their own copy
and learn about our other news services.
Missed the last issue? Read it here.
Join our Online Communities:
Take our monthly e-survey:
10 Questions on Asthma Management
You'll be emailed a synopsis of the survey results.
Interested in all open surveys?
Review them here.
This week's industry news
1.) Young Adult ACA Mandate Triggered Dramatic Increase in Parental Employer Coverage
The number of young adults age 19 to 25 who are covered by their parents’ employer-provided health insurance policies has increased dramatically since the ACA mandated it, according to a study by Indiana University economists.
Get the full
story.
>>Return to this week's industry news
2.) Health Reform 2011: Impact on Health Plans, Hospitals, Providers and Purchasers
This comprehensive report outlines the likely impact of health reform on coverage, benefit designs, medical costs, providers and pharmacy benefits. Special sections also address the impact on employers, the transformation of the Medicare and Medicaid programs and the radical changes to fraud, abuse and compliance initiatives.
Learn more about this resource.
>>Return to this week's industry news
3.) Patient Hand-off Tool Effective in Reducing Readmissions, Hospital Stay
A new tool to improve patient hand-offs has reduced readmissions by 50 percent and the time it takes to move a patient from the emergency department to an inpatient unit by 33 percent.
Get the full story.
>>Return to this week's industry news
4.) Guide to Reducing Medicare Readmissions, Vol. II
In this resource, innovative interventions to reduce preventable admissions, rehospitalizations and ER visits by high-utilizing Medicare beneficiaries are examined. This guide looks at four multidisciplinary collaborative interventions aimed at key factors fueling readmissions in this population and that support an accountable care vision.
Learn more about this resource.
>>Return to this week's industry news
5.) Healthcare Business White Paper: The ICD-10 Compliance Challenge Automating Trading Partner and Affiliate Readiness
With deadlines for compliance fast approaching, ICD-10 program managers must manage a myriad of tasks spanning the business. A significant component of ensuring compliance involves assessing the readiness of affiliates to transact with the new ICD-10 codes. This white paper presents strategies for bringing automation to reduce cost and minimize risk in ICD-10 compliance.
Download this complimentary white paper.
>>Return to this week's industry news
6.) Most Patients Want to Self-Manage Healthcare Online: Survey
While the majority of Americans want to manage their healthcare online, nearly half of them aren’t sure if their information is available electronically.
Get the full story.
>>Return to this week's industry news
7.) New Chart: Who's Responsible for Improving Medication Adherence?
Evidence continues to mount that heightened levels of medication adherence correlate to reduced hospitalizations and emergency room visits, especially among Medicare patients. We wanted to see who is primarily responsible for improving medication adherence among patients and health plan members.
Click here to view the chart.
>>Return to this week's industry news
8.) 2011 Benchmarks in Patient Satisfaction Strategies: Improving the Healthcare Consumer Experience
New market research on industry efforts are presented in this resource to enhance the patient experience and levels of satisfaction with their care.
Learn more about this resource.
>>Return to this week's industry news
9.) Medical Costs Continue to Rise at Double-Digit Levels Around the World
As employee medical costs continue to rise around the world, employers are seeking wellness and health promotion strategies to improve health outcomes, according to a survey from Towers Watson.
Get the full story.
>>Return to this week's industry news
10.) Guide to Health Risk Assessment and Stratification
In this resource, 12 industry thought leaders describe the processes of health risk assessment (HRA) and stratification as well as applications and benefits of health assessment in the workplace and various healthcare settings. This 140-page guide also examines the HRA’s impact on cost, utilization and patient health status.
Learn more about this resource.
>>Return to this week's industry news
11.) Dartmouth-Hitchcock Nurses Help Bridge Transition, Care Gaps
Transforming nurses into care and outreach managers helped Dartmouth-Hitchcock to bridge care and coordinate services across transition points, explains its senior medical director Barbara Walters, DO, MBA.
Get the full story.
>>Return to this week's industry news
12.) Population Health Management Tools for ACOs: Technologies and Tactics to Support Accountable Care
This resource examines the building blocks of population health management that drive improvements in healthcare quality and efficiency in ACOs while positioning healthcare organizations for core measure improvement and increased reimbursement.
Learn more about this resource.
>>Return to this week's industry news
13.) New Diabetes Management Video Offers 4 Ideas for Weight Control
It’s possible to launch low-cost weight management programs for individuals with diabetes, even if participants have limited incomes, attests Hudson River HealthCare (HRHC). In our new video on diabetes management, Kathy Brieger, RD, CDE, chief operations officer at HRHC, talks about four programs offered by their diabetes collaborative that are helping members with diabetes to better manage their weight.
Read this blog post.
>>Return to this week's industry news
14.) HealthSounds Podcast: The Patient-Centered Medical Home Lessons from a Statewide Rollout
Nurse educators provide essential support to physician practices in Florida Blue's rollout of a statewide patient-centered medical home, explains Barbara Haasis, RN, CCRN, senior clinical lead for Florida Blue's quality reward and recognition programs. They help practices meet key disease metrics within Florida Blue's performance scorecards, and can direct providers to both internal and external resources to help them resolve patient issues. Ms. Hassis also explains why providing after-hours access is a prerequisite for practices in the medical home program as well as the case manager's contribution to this program.
Listen to this podcast.
>>Return to this week's industry news
Thank you for your readership! Please urge your colleagues to subscribe by forwarding this email or visiting http://www.hin.com/freenews2.html or by calling (888) 446-3530 or visiting the HIN Web
site.
While we encourage you to forward this email to your
colleagues, these articles may not be redistributed in any other publication,
reproduced for publication in any form, distributed on an intranet or network or
by e-mail distribution or distributed for commercial purposes without the expressed
written permission of the Healthcare Intelligence Network.
|