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Innovative programs help pharmacists prepare for cold and flu season
Sheilamary Koch PharmaceuticalAs temperatures cool, days shorten and store aisles fill with holiday displays, pharmacists in the Northern Hemisphere know cold and flu season is imminent. Pharmacies are perhaps best known for their key role in preventing infections and reducing transmission of influenza by dispensing flu immunizations. Pharmacists can also make a positive impact in other methods of infection prevention, symptom management, patient self-care, and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS).
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Study: Financial waste in healthcare remains significant
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareDespite its reputation for saving things, healthcare can be a pretty wasteful environment. In fact, there’s so much excess that nearly a quarter or more of all the money in the sector gets wasted, a new study suggests. The sum of all waste is estimated to range from $760 billion to $935 billion, according to a recent report in JAMA. There’s a small sliver of good news: Things could be worse. The study authors suggest that the amount of waste was worse, by as much as 5%, in 2011.
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Groupthink: A danger to healthcare innovation
Keith Carlson Medical & Allied HealthcareIn the healthcare universe, we follow orders and policies and procedures because that is part and parcel of our clinical world’s rules. However, doing what you’re told can come at a price if you violate your own moral code and personal values or the orders have potential to cause harm to a patient. It can also feel the antithesis of evidence-based practice when you’re told to do something a certain way because "that’s the way we’ve always done it."
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Podcast: The economics of starting a practice
Jarod Carter Healthcare AdministrationConsidering starting a cash-based practice or online business? Here’s my advice on the top things to consider in your decision-making process that will ensure you are geared toward success. These include: setting realistic expectations for profit margins, overhead costs, and overall time commitment; the importance of leveraging experts instead of doing it all yourself; and approaches for hiring online contractors to make sure you get what you need.
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Report: Patients want more billing transparency, digital payment options
Scott E. Rupp Healthcare AdministrationA new report, the 2019 Healthcare Consumer Study, was commissioned by Cedar to identify trends in the financial experience for patients. Results show one-third (34%) of U.S. healthcare consumers say they have experienced a medical bill going into collections. However, most of these outstanding bills were not the result of astronomical statement amounts. For the most part, Cedar found, these bills in collection were the result of poor billing practices on the part of the practice or healthcare organization — or so patients thought.
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How to boost pain management satisfaction scores at your hospital
Lisa Mulcahy Healthcare AdministrationAs a hospital administrator, analyzing patient comments regarding pain management is something you probably have to do. Yet, it's easy to overlook common issues that cause or increase pain for your patients. These could be issues your patients don’t even realize are causing them problems. Root out these problematic areas and implement solutions to make your patients more comfortable by utilizing this advice.
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Podcast: The 7 most dangerous words in healthcare
Keith Carlson Medical & Allied HealthcareWhat are the seven most dangerous words in healthcare? In my universe, those seven words are "that’s the way we’ve always done it." Who are the people who resist change? They’re the ones who generally aren’t natural intrapreneurs or leaders. They’re more likely to be the people who just do their work and go home, with little investment in their careers or jobs. Such individuals may also be fearful of technology, which one would think is a stark difference between generations, but that’s not always the case — resistance can come from any nurse from any generation.
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Achieve success by planning for decline
Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementResearch and experience have shown that becoming more comfortable with the idea of death reduces the negative stress associated with dying. Like death, most of us also are either in denial of or avoid thinking about our professional decline. It is, however, hard for any of us to argue that we anticipate continuing to excel indefinitely in our current endeavors. Like becoming more comfortable with death reduces our anxiety about it, embracing the idea of the end of our success can help us deal with it. Here are a few ways to achieve success by planning for our decline.
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Controlling hypertension: Do electronic pill bottles and text messaging…
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareOnly half of the 77.9 million adults in the United States with high blood pressure have their condition under control. By 2030, it is estimated that the prevalence of hypertension will increase 7.2% from 2013 estimates. A major factor in uncontrolled hypertension is patients’ failure to consistently take their medications. Researchers from Penn Medicine tested new tactics, including text messaging and remote monitoring via an electronic pill bottle to test adherence.
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The blessing and burden of caregiving
Lisa Cole Medical & Allied HealthcareBeyond the breathless years of raising "typical" children, many of us find ourselves again in caregiving roles. What do we do when those we love won't die, grow up or leave and we must care for them? Some of us see caring for another as a burden; others see it as a blessing. Often, it's both. The attitude one takes may be culturally influenced. Living in Tanzania, I found older people there to be universally revered. The idea of putting a parent in a skilled nursing home was foreign to Tanzanians — there aren't any!
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