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Infographic: How better supply chain management leads to cost savings for…

Lisa Miller Healthcare Administration

In 2019, the cost of healthcare in the U.S. rose to $3.8 trillion, and hospital expenses accounted for one-third of all spending. Yet, 1 in 5 hospitals are at risk of closure due to financial pressure. This infographic outlines why that is and how better supply chain management can help.

The 3 C’s of healthcare communication: Compassion, clarity, and coherence

Keith Carlson Medical & Allied Healthcare

In healthcare, it can generally be agreed that one of the central pillars of the delivery of high-quality patient care is communication. It can also be readily agreed that communication is a central pillar of both inter- and intra-team cohesion and relationships. If this is truly the case, then why does communication break down so often and what can we do about improving it in the interest of staff satisfaction and retention, as well as the satisfaction of patients and their loved ones?

Health IT regulators to continue push back against ‘bad actors’

Scott E. Rupp Healthcare Administration

The healthcare hubbub that Epic Systems started in January with an email from its CEO and founder, Judy Faulkner, to several of its hospital and health system clients has continued in February. The tactic did not go unnoticed, and scathing responses were handed down by two of the industry’s leaders and several other industry insiders, including Microsoft, Google and Cerner. Still, more than a month on, the piling on continues. The latest comment is from Donald Rucker, M.D., head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC).

Public health cuts undermine US pandemic preparedness

Michelle R. Matisons Medical & Allied Healthcare

As China's coronavirus (COVID-19) spreads, the federal government in the U.S. has a limited health preparedness infrastructure in the event of a stateside pandemic viral outbreak. Instead, public health precautions taken by communities and hospitals must shape a proactive response to a global threat still in its nascent stages. The hollow husk left by recent public health budget cuts leave military command structures as the only coordinated "safety net" in a U.S. pandemic event.

The complications of choosing a pain reliever

Dorothy L. Tengler Pharmaceutical

Although over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used to treat pain, these drugs cause about 100,000 hospitalizations and 17,000 deaths annually. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently strengthened its warning about the risks of cardiovascular disease attributed to NSAIDs. Because choosing a pain reliever can be complicated for healthcare providers and their patients, researchers from Florida Atlantic University's Schmidt College of Medicine have addressed cardiovascular risks as well as gastrointestinal and kidney side effects of pain relievers, including over-the-counter and prescription drugs for pain relief.

How to prevent product returns at your spa

Elizabeth Donat Retail

An inevitable side effect of retail sales is product returns. Of course, a few here and there is normal, but if you are experiencing anything greater than a 5 to 7% return rate, then it's time to assess your game plan at your salon, spa or med spa to get those numbers where they should be. Follow my expert advice below to handle and prevent excessive retail returns.

How blockchain technology can benefit your patients

Lisa Mulcahy Healthcare Administration

As a physician or administrator, it's crucial that you keep patient transactions and data easily shareable and totally secure. Blockchain technology may be just the right way for your organization to do it. In a blockchain system, data is linked in a segmented system that makes for ease of sharing, eliminates the risk of inaccurate data being kept in a patient ledger, and automatically distributes to a set network of recipients. Blockchain is currently being used most in healthcare payment applications. However, as it matures further, it is being adapted for virtually every healthcare need.

HHS responds to arguments against hospital price transparency

Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied Healthcare

Regarding healthcare pricing transparency, the Trump administration says patients should have the right to know how much care will cost before they receive it. The argument seems to hold water, because in all other transactions where are wallets are concerned, consumers know the price of the products and services before they buy. These are the points continually made by leaders at HHS. These are also the arguments made in a brief filed last week in response to a lawsuit challenging the price transparency rule. HHS also argues that Congress meant for hospital pricing be made public.

Healthcare mergers and acquisitions: Navigating the landscape

Tory Barringer Healthcare Administration

The past few years have seen a marked increase in hospital mergers and acquisitions (M&A), with deals closing at an average pace of about 100 annually, according to an estimate from the Los Angeles Times. In many cases, these mergers are a net positive for the communities they impact. Yet, healthcare observers and researchers argue that takeovers have the downside of eliminating competition and driving up prices, to say nothing of the risk to patient safety. Regardless of the debate surrounding M&A, activity is likely to continue at a brisk pace unless regulators step in or the healthcare landscape changes enough to force another shift. With that in mind, hospitals are advised to keep a few pointers in mind when it comes to a successful merger.

Taking on the coronavirus with a new next-generation sequencing strategy

Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied Healthcare

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is closely monitoring an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a new coronavirus named 2019-nCoV. The outbreak first started in Wuhan, China, but cases have been identified in a growing number of other international locations, including the United States. In the meantime, to monitor how viruses like this one spread and evolve in animal populations, researchers are exploring next-generation sequencing (NGS). However, NGS can be costly and laborious, so geneticists are developing less expensive and more efficient NGS strategies.

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