Christina Thielst

Christina Thielst, FACHE, is a skilled and innovative hospital and healthcare administrator and entrepreneur with a deep desire for continually improving the health of the community being served. Christina is also the author of "Applying Social Media Technologies in Healthcare Environments."

Articles by Christina Thielst

• Smarter mobile health for addiction recovery

  Social and mobile health tools are making a significant impact on consumer health and wellness. They…

  Monday, April 23, 2018

• Integrated systems for smarter telemedicine

  Over the last several years, integration has been building in the world of health information technology…

  Wednesday, April 11, 2018

• Evolution: Telemedicine to digital health

  Digital health continues its expansion beyond more traditional telemedicine modalities as health professionals…

  Monday, March 26, 2018

• Lessons learned from nurse practitioner claims history

  ​The lessons we learn can come from our own experiences or those of others. In the case of risk management,…

  Thursday, March 22, 2018

• Managing challenging patient relationships

  Challenges in healthcare are the norm. However, some patients present significant challenges to healthcare…

  Wednesday, February 28, 2018

• Let’s improve the response to pain, not place blame

  ​When observing conflict, I've often pointed out that it takes "two to tango," meaning each party has…

  Thursday, January 04, 2018

• How can we bridge the engagement gap?

  Change Healthcare recently surveyed consumers, payers and providers to gain insight on their unique perspectives…

  Friday, October 27, 2017

• Report details first 6 months of California’s End of Life Option Act

  The California Department of Public Health released its report detailing usage information during the…

  Friday, July 14, 2017

• What to do instead of making accreditation reports publicly available

  Accrediting organizations (AO) like the Joint Commission evaluate hospitals against established standards…

  Wednesday, June 21, 2017

• Honoring end-of-life wishes with DNH orders

  "Do not resuscitate" (DNR) orders have not been as effective as hoped for every patient who has one.…

  Thursday, June 01, 2017

• H7N9 virus: Planning for the next pandemic

  Most public health officials agree that the next pandemic is not a matter of if, but when will it arrive…

  Wednesday, May 24, 2017

• Reducing misdiagnosis with virtual second opinions

  ​Telemedicine and telehealth services have been connecting patients and providers who aren't sitting…

  Thursday, May 04, 2017

• Integrating primary and behavioral care

  Mental health and substance abuse treatment have for too long been delivered entirely separate from medical…

  Monday, April 24, 2017

• How can healthcare leaders ensure safety?

  Leadership is multifaceted, complex and full of daily challenges — especially in the healthcare field.…

  Monday, April 10, 2017

• Why is no one using our patient portal?

  Patient portals and the functionality they offer have the potential to increase access to service, improve…

  Friday, March 24, 2017

• Collaboration in Texas: Ensuring patient access to virtual visits

  ​The Texas Medical Board has wrangled with telemedicine companies on policy covering virtual patient…

  Tuesday, February 28, 2017

• Making sense of the political conflict surrounding healthcare

  ​There are significant risks to crafting new legislation without bipartisan and public support. Former…

  Friday, February 24, 2017

• Women in medicine: Providing higher quality and better patient outcomes?

  In 1973, Billy Jean King changed the way the world felt about women in sports. Today, a new analysis…

  Monday, January 16, 2017

• Coverage expansion, utilization increases lead to health spending growth

  ​A new analysis from the Office of the Actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)…

  Wednesday, January 04, 2017

• Where you live affects how long you live

  Variation in life expectancy across counties in the United States is substantial and not fully explained…

  Friday, December 02, 2016

• What does data analytics really mean?

  There are times in every healthcare leader’s life when they feel overwhelmed by information and they…

  Monday, November 28, 2016

• The frustration of nurse midwives and corporate practice of medicine bans

  Kaiser Health News recently reported on the failure of California's AB 1306 to expand the scope of practice…

  Wednesday, November 09, 2016

• Health systems science: The third pillar of medical education

  ​The American Medical Association (AMA) will soon release their new "Health Systems Science" textbook…

  Thursday, November 03, 2016

• CMS aims to bolster emergency preparedness

  Healthcare is increasingly being delivered outside of hospitals in widely diverse settings. However,…

  Tuesday, October 04, 2016

• Salesforce report shows increasing acceptance of telemedicine

  Salesforce recently published a survey of U.S. adults to gain insight into their communications with…

  Thursday, September 29, 2016

• Reducing prescription medication use with medical marijuana

  Researchers at the University of Georgia have found that prescribing patterns change with the implementation…

  Monday, September 19, 2016

• Telehealth parity laws still face obstacles

  A new policy brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation examines telehealth parity…

  Tuesday, August 30, 2016

• Getting care to where the patients will be

  Wayne Gretzky famously said his success came from "skating to where the puck will be." The recent InTouch…

  Thursday, August 25, 2016

• Specialist medical homes: Keeping patients out of the hospital

  Specialty medical homes provide a tremendous opportunity to control costs with better management of complications…

  Tuesday, August 16, 2016

• Data analytics for the patient population

  Traditional electronic health records are designed around the care delivered during encounters with individual…

  Tuesday, July 26, 2016

• As out-of-pocket costs rise, patients seek value and convenience

  Consumers are assuming more and more responsibility for their healthcare costs — higher deductibles…

  Monday, July 18, 2016

• Ransomware: Healthcare’s latest cyberthreat

  Ransomware attacks are a form of digital extortion and a way for hackers to easily monetize health information…

  Tuesday, June 21, 2016

• Medical errors: Are they really the third‑leading cause of death?

  The 1999 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report "To Err is Human" focused national attention on patient safety…

  Wednesday, June 08, 2016

• Senior population health: National data and state rankings

  America's Health Rankings has released their 2016 Senior Report, an analysis of the 65-plus population's…

  Thursday, June 02, 2016

• Workplace safety in healthcare: Strategies and resources

  Workplace injuries and illness are expensive — both in terms of the organization's bottom line and…

  Tuesday, May 24, 2016

• Workplace safety in healthcare: Identifying the problem

  The healthcare industry has one of the highest rates of work-related injuries and illness, and the impact…

  Monday, May 09, 2016

• 7 steps for guiding patients through behavioral changes

  Value-based purchasing and other drivers of change have led to improvements in models of care. One of…

  Tuesday, April 19, 2016

• CEOs offer top issues confronting community hospitals

  The American College of Healthcare Executives conducts an annual survey of community hospitals to identify…

  Wednesday, April 06, 2016

• Depression and diabetes: Improving outcomes with telehealth

  Almost 10 percent of the U.S. population has diabetes, and it is one of healthcare's greatest challenges…

  Monday, March 21, 2016

• California bill requires patients to identify family caregivers

  Healthcare is one of the most overly regulated industries. Sometimes the ideas that motivate creation…

  Monday, March 07, 2016

• To attain precision medicine, we must first personalize

  In his 2015 State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama announced the launch of a new Precision…

  Monday, February 22, 2016

• Social media and healthcare: Offsetting liability with policy

  Social media is a powerful communication and connection tool that is being applied in healthcare environments…

  Tuesday, January 12, 2016

• Finding balance for patients: Hospitals and marijuana

  ​Stories abound about how marijuana has helped relieve symptoms in those who are seriously ill, and…

  Monday, December 14, 2015

• Leadership in healthcare: Not so different from splitting wood

  As winter approaches, this is an excellent time to reflect on trends in healthcare and self-assess one's…

  Monday, November 23, 2015

• 16 ideas for reducing healthcare energy costs

  ​Healthcare organizations are constantly under pressure to reduce costs these days. That often means…

  Wednesday, October 28, 2015

• Innovating and disrupting in telemedicine

  In the fee-for-service era, healthcare providers focused on those who were present in the clinic —…

  Monday, October 26, 2015

• Disaster: 6 actions to avoid leaving the elderly and disabled in danger

  The recent wildfires once again shine a light on the importance of increased attention to the needs of…

  Tuesday, October 13, 2015

• Securing electronic health records on mobile devices

  Healthcare providers are breaking free from the nursing station and using mobile devices to receive,…

  Wednesday, September 30, 2015

• Striving for balance: Bundling payments for joint replacements

  The world of orthopedics is good for the bottom line of many hospitals, but joint replacement surgeries…

  Thursday, September 10, 2015

• Waves of change: Helping staff navigate the turbulent tides of healthcare

  With an emphasis on reducing costs while improving quality and access, the transformation of the U.S.…

  Thursday, August 20, 2015

• Healthcare providers preparing for dialysis pay-for-performance change

  Beginning Jan. 1, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will pay outpatient dialysis facilities…

  Tuesday, July 28, 2015

• The graying of the US healthcare workforce

  The baby boomer generation started reaching retirement age in 2011. As millions of baby boomers are starting…

  Friday, July 24, 2015

• Mystery and fantasy: Physicians branch out as fiction writers

  In the last few years, I've received several fictional books written by physicians. This has caused me…

  Tuesday, July 14, 2015

• Is America’s broadband infrastructure ready for the Silver Tsunami?

  A couple of weeks ago, the cable guy came out to my house due to slow connections. What I learned from…

  Tuesday, June 30, 2015

• Study: Best practices for the primary care practice

  ​The healthcare delivery system and payment models are changing. Much more emphasis is being placed…

  Tuesday, June 09, 2015

• What we know in Year 2 of health insurance marketplace enrollment

  The health insurance marketplaces created under the Affordable Care Act are now in their second year…

  Friday, May 22, 2015

• What CMS envisions for physician quality reporting programs

  ​Whether we like it or not, data-driven and value-based decision making is here to stay, and the Centers…

  Tuesday, May 05, 2015

• High hopes, unfulfilled promise: Healthcare groups look beyond portals

  The healthcare delivery system currently being transformed is moving us much closer toward longitudinal…

  Thursday, April 30, 2015

• Universal precautions: They truly are worth it

  When a Santa Barbara, California, patient tested positive for Hepatitis C last month, local public health…

  Wednesday, April 22, 2015

• Leveraging social technologies as healthcare business solutions

  Last year, a highly respectable group of individuals representing a diverse group of healthcare organizations…

  Wednesday, April 01, 2015

• Possible HIV cure brings hope to patients and healthcare providers

  The first AIDS case recognized at the time in the United States was reported to the CDC in April of 1980.…

  Wednesday, March 18, 2015

• State medical board licensing: Challenges for telemedicine

  The pressures to reduce healthcare costs and improve access have never been greater. Everything from…

  Tuesday, March 03, 2015

• Disrespectful healthcare cultures and risks to patient care

  A recent PSQH article listed a dozen persistent medication safety gaffes that need to be resolved. Not…

  Friday, February 20, 2015

• Managing your online reputation

  Social channels provide tremendous opportunities to use your voice and find others with similar interests.…

  Friday, February 06, 2015

• Clean hands save lives: A vigilance that must never falter

  Hand washing in healthcare has long been associated with preventing the spread of disease, but frequent…

  Monday, January 19, 2015

• The long road to health information exchange

  Health information exchange (HIE) is turning out to be one of those really long journeys in which you…

  Monday, December 01, 2014

• Coaching: Breaking it down for healthcare leaders

  Great leaders are sometimes measured by how deeply they have impacted the lives of others, and the ability…

  Wednesday, November 12, 2014

• Hospital preparedness: Pay now or pay later?

  Recent events surrounding the diagnosis of Ebola on U.S. soil have proven that we can't always predict…

  Tuesday, October 28, 2014

• 10 ways to apply social tools for an improved patient experience

  ​The pressures and drivers to reduce costs, improve quality, emphasize prevention and increase access…

  Friday, October 24, 2014

• Following the money: Cybertheft and healthcare

  Patient records contain personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI),…

  Tuesday, October 14, 2014

• CMS projects faster health spending growth over next decade

  The Office of the Actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently released new estimates…

  Monday, September 29, 2014

• New FICO credit score formula may hurt medical collections

  ​A new version of FICO's credit score formula will be launched this fall that could improve the chances…

  Monday, September 15, 2014

• Improving performance: Show me, don’t just tell me

  It is amazing how much you can learn about how processes really work by talking to staff, physicians,…

  Tuesday, September 02, 2014

• Business continuity: Planning for a smooth recovery from disasters

  ​Healthcare leaders more often think about their preparedness for disaster response than they do to…

  Tuesday, August 26, 2014

• Text-to-911 availability has important mHealth implications

  The Federal Communications Commission has taken another step toward a 911 system that fits with how Americans…

  Wednesday, August 13, 2014