-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
How to give your cardiologists the support they need
Lisa Mulcahy Healthcare AdministrationAs an administrator, you know that cardiologists are often nothing short of miracle workers. A little-considered fact, however: these highly skilled and brilliant physicians often work under emotional and physical constraints that make their jobs difficult, even dangerous — and that can compromise patient care. To give the cardiologists in your organization the assistance they may need, but may not ask you for, implement these important research-driven points. Doing so will ensure safe, satisfactory outcomes.
-
Study: Caregivers aren’t putting patient-reported symptoms into EHRs
Scott E. Rupp Healthcare AdministrationWhen it comes to getting more good news into the electronic health record case file, the following story is not among them if the source and the research are to be believed. The following might also fall at the feet of providers, who may be at the heart of this hairy tale. Per the findings of a recent study published in the December issue of the peer-reviewed journal Quality of Life Research, primary care physicians "do not routinely put patient-reported symptoms regarding sleep, pain, anxiety, depression and low energy or fatigue into electronic health record systems."
-
States begin to mandate mental health education
Bambi Majumdar EducationExperts state that an overwhelming majority of our youth who commit suicide, over 90 percent, suffer from depression or other diagnosable forms of mental illness. Students who have some kind of mental illness are less likely to succeed in school as well. With such ominous statistics staring us in the face, it is high time we have straight talk with our children about mental health. New York and Virginia have become the first states to mandate that schools include mental health education in their curriculums. It is a step in the right direction, and other states should follow suit.
-
Stoking the healthcare leadership succession pipeline
Keith Carlson Medical & Allied HealthcareIn healthcare and other industries, keeping the succession pipeline filled is essential to organizational success and longevity. Healthcare institutions must bear in mind that a valued leader can retire, quit, be let go, or become ill or disabled at any time; thus, being ready for changes in leadership is both prudent and forward-thinking. In this particular endeavor, a proactive strategy is much preferable to a reactive one. If we accept the necessity of keeping the succession pipeline stoked, what are steps that a thoughtful healthcare facility can take in order to assure relatively seamless transitions of power and leadership at pivotal times?
-
CMS: US healthcare spending slows in nearly every corner of the market
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareHealthcare spending slowed in 2017 for the second consecutive year in the United States, with a limited growth rate of 3.9 percent — almost one percentage point lower than in 2016 — according to new statistics released by the federal government this month. Healthcare’s share of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) is 17.9 percent with total spending emerging at $3.5 trillion — the equivalent of $10,739 per person — but growing slower than the overall GDP. Why the slowing growth?
-
Study shows link between opioid prescription and later use, abuse by young…
Tammy Hinojos Oral & Dental HealthcareThe abuse of opioids is a public health crisis in the United States. Dentists continue to be a leading source of opioid prescriptions for children and adolescents aged 10 to 19 years, primarily due to third molar extractions (wisdom teeth). Young people who develop opioid abuse problems may be first exposed to the drug while receiving dental treatment. This, according to a new study released earlier this month by JAMA Internal Medicine.
-
Help your doctors get more rest on duty
Lisa Mulcahy Medical & Allied HealthcareSleep deprivation: it's a fact of life for both practicing physicians and residents alike. As a hospital administrator, you know this, but there's no doubt you wish you could help your doctors get a least a little more shuteye. You're in luck: cutting-edge research has identified strategies that physicians can use to rest more efficiently while performing their duties during shifts or prior to procedures. Help your doctors by employing the following science-based tips.
All Mental Healthcare Articles