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New study: Opioids not the best choice for alleviating chronic noncancer…
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareOpioids are invaluable for treating chronic cancer pain, post-surgical pain and severe acute pain, but the results of a new study suggest that opioids may not be as good at reducing chronic noncancer pain. The dangers of opioid overprescribing are increasingly evident, as is the need to gain greater understanding of when opioids are likely to be effective. In short, research found that opioids provided small improvements in pain, sleep quality and physical functioning compared to a placebo, but the differences between the two pain relievers did not meet minimally important difference standards.
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New ways to help your physicians deal with pharma marketing
Lisa Mulcahy Medical & Allied HealthcareIn healthcare, you know that drug companies are going to target your organization's doctors no matter what. But are you as fully engaged as you should be in terms of helping your doctors avoid troubling incentives? Use the following research-driven advice to guide your doctors in their dealings with pharma marketers — it's crucial for upholding their integrity as well as the overall integrity of your organization.
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Women in healthcare underrepresented in leadership roles, earn less than…
Scott E. Rupp Healthcare AdministrationA new report by Oliver Wyman says that women may take three to five years longer than men to reach CEO-level positions across different types of industries despite their making up to 80 percent of buying and usage decisions in healthcare. For healthcare specifically, women are absent from the C-suite, making up only about 30 percent of senior leadership and just 13 percent of CEOs. These meager numbers don’t match the number of women in the workforce, however, who represent as much as 65 percent of it.
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Virtual reality: From the OR to the bedside
Christina Thielst Medical & Allied HealthcareIncreasingly, healthcare professionals and consumers are digital natives, meaning they have lived their entire lives with technology. Their worldview is a bit different than those of us who are digital immigrants. One of the latest and most promising applications in digital health is virtual reality. Researchers began using virtual reality in healthcare environments in the 1990s and applications have become more sophisticated over time, especially as today’s digital natives increasingly envision the possibilities.
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Hearts from donors with hepatitis C or who are obese could help meet increasing…
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareMore than 100,000 people in the United States are sick enough to benefit from a heart transplant. In 2017, only 3,244 people actually received one. The number of people in need of a heart transplant is growing, and the number of heart transplants performed each year is growing as well. Donations, however, have reached a plateau. In two new Stanford University-led studies, researchers say the number of people on the waiting list could be reduced by using hearts that transplant centers often overlook, such as those organs that once belonged to people who were obese or who had an active hepatitis C infection.
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Stemming the tide of attrition: A healthcare priority
Keith Carlson Healthcare AdministrationEmployee turnover is costly for any industry, and healthcare is no exception. Hiring new employees is a calculated risk, be they nurses, physicians, or other staff. Seamless, high-quality healthcare is key to successful outcomes, and staffing inconsistencies can be a powerful wrench in the system. Based on the importance of staff retention and the cost of attrition, stemming employee attrition and honoring the value of human capital should be top of mind for any healthcare administrator, executive, or manager.
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Healthcare hiring outpaces almost every other sector in 2018
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareThe job market ended last year on a high note with more than 312,000 reported jobs added for the final month of the year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported earlier this month, even while the overall unemployment rate rose to 3.9 percent. The healthcare sector had a very strong year, having experienced the creation of more than 346,000 new jobs. Annually, that’s up from 284,000 jobs in 2017, a 22 percent rise year-over-year. Ambulatory centers added 219,000 jobs while hospitals added 107,000 jobs.
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Improve the way your physicians use EHRs
Lisa Mulcahy Healthcare AdministrationElectronic health records (EHRs) can be an incredibly helpful tool in providing targeted patient care and reducing medical error. Yet many hospitals' EHR systems can be difficult to navigate for many doctors due to poor technology, confusing or time-consuming notation requirements, or a lack of understanding how to utilize EHRs to provide the best patient care. The solution? Take stock of your EHR system for efficiency — then use the following advice to make it easier for your doctors to work with, with life-saving, cost-saving results.
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Study evaluates 9 coronary risk scores used to evaluate undifferentiated…
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareNonspecific chest pain is the second most common reason for presentation to the emergency department, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) identification with appropriate disposition is quite challenging. While most ED patients with undifferentiated chest pain do not have ACS, missing this diagnosis has major morbidity and mortality implications. In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers compared the performance of nine different risk scores within the same population presenting to the ED with undifferentiated chest pain.
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For many hospitals, the fax machine is still the dominant information sharing…
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareThe fax machine has not gone anywhere in medicine. This so-called "ancient relic" is still operational and is considered a simple, yet powerful tool for those in healthcare, despite the other more modern modalities of exchanging information. According to newly released federal data, almost three-quarters of nonfederal acute care hospitals routinely use faxes to receive summary of care records from providers outside their system, according to the data released by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health IT.
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