By Amanda MacMillan
Psoriatic arthritis, a type of arthritis that affects people with the skin condition psoriasis, can attack the joints and tendons.
About 22% of people with psoriasis who have not been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis appear to have symptoms of the condition, such as joint pain, swelling, and warmth, according to a 2011 survey by the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF).
For the full article please go here.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
5 top ways to attract health care employees from Health IT news
Implementing the latest health IT is a challenge in and of itself, but having a competent team makes it that much easier. Fred Pennic, senior advisor with Aspen Advisors and author of the blog Healthcare IT Consultant, suggests five ways to attract the best health IT employees.
1. Having a strong employer brand and culture. According to Pennic, top IT prospects are attracted to companies with a well-established and respected brand that also coincides with their own personal brand. "Employers must continue to establish and/or maintain a strong brand that will attract the best HIT talent,” he said.
For the full article please go here.
1. Having a strong employer brand and culture. According to Pennic, top IT prospects are attracted to companies with a well-established and respected brand that also coincides with their own personal brand. "Employers must continue to establish and/or maintain a strong brand that will attract the best HIT talent,” he said.
For the full article please go here.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
A Quarter of all drug plans on medicare received a poor rating from Kaiser Health News
Nationally, more than a quarter of Medicare’s rated prescription drug plans that will be available to seniors in 2012 get poor ratings from federal officials. And in the Washington metro area, 36 percent rate unacceptably low, according to an analysis of Medicare data.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is putting these plans on notice that, unless they take steps to improve their performance over the next few years, they face expulsion from Medicare.
CMS this month revised the way it rates Medicare drug plans to focus more on quality, and many plans’ ratings fell from 2011 to 2012. The criteria changed to stress clinical outcomes, such as whether a patient takes his medication the way he is supposed to, in addition to process measures, such as how long a patient is kept on hold when calling the plan. In judging 2012 plans, CMS for the first time considered whether patients kept up with medications for diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol, and it also considered complaints lodged against plans, and the numbers of people who choose to leave plans.
For the full article please go here.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is putting these plans on notice that, unless they take steps to improve their performance over the next few years, they face expulsion from Medicare.
CMS this month revised the way it rates Medicare drug plans to focus more on quality, and many plans’ ratings fell from 2011 to 2012. The criteria changed to stress clinical outcomes, such as whether a patient takes his medication the way he is supposed to, in addition to process measures, such as how long a patient is kept on hold when calling the plan. In judging 2012 plans, CMS for the first time considered whether patients kept up with medications for diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol, and it also considered complaints lodged against plans, and the numbers of people who choose to leave plans.
For the full article please go here.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Smarter Money Management in the Health Care Sector from Hospitals and Health News
By Howard Larkin
With the financial vise already tight and sure to get tighter, hospitals search for ways to survive on less.
Fiscal Fitness, cost reduction, money management, efficiency, variation, Medicare, payment, reimbursementFrom the Papal Nuncio's compound overlooking Port-au-Prince, Chris Van Gorder was struck by how beautiful the Haitian capital looked nestled by the sea. But as the president and CEO of San Diego-based Scripps Health descended into the city with his medical response team after the January 2010 earthquake, his impression shifted radically. "I had never seen such death and devastation in my life," Van Gorder recalls.
The jarring contrast between how the city appeared from above and on the ground, helped crystallize some long-developing notions Van Gorder had about his own organization. First, it threw into sharp relief the need to make health care more affordable, effective and responsive to all patients' needs. Second, it made it clear that accomplishing this would require looking at — and managing — Scripps horizontally rather than vertically.
For the full article please go here.
With the financial vise already tight and sure to get tighter, hospitals search for ways to survive on less.
Fiscal Fitness, cost reduction, money management, efficiency, variation, Medicare, payment, reimbursementFrom the Papal Nuncio's compound overlooking Port-au-Prince, Chris Van Gorder was struck by how beautiful the Haitian capital looked nestled by the sea. But as the president and CEO of San Diego-based Scripps Health descended into the city with his medical response team after the January 2010 earthquake, his impression shifted radically. "I had never seen such death and devastation in my life," Van Gorder recalls.
The jarring contrast between how the city appeared from above and on the ground, helped crystallize some long-developing notions Van Gorder had about his own organization. First, it threw into sharp relief the need to make health care more affordable, effective and responsive to all patients' needs. Second, it made it clear that accomplishing this would require looking at — and managing — Scripps horizontally rather than vertically.
For the full article please go here.
Premiums, deductibles and cost sharing all on the rise from Kaiser Health News
Signing up for health insurance during your company's annual enrollment period, which for many plans is right now, may feel like taking a nasty dose of medicine: You know it's good for you, but it sure doesn't go down easy.
More From This Series Insuring Your Health
On the plus side, nearly two-thirds of companies are still offering health insurance to their employees, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation's annual survey of employer health benefits. That's worth a lot.
But that coverage won't come cheap, as premiums, deductibles and cost sharing continue to rise, sometimes even more steeply than in previous years. More employers are also moving to high-deductible plans that shift increasing expenses onto their employees, requiring them to pay more before benefits kick in. And companies are making it pricier to insure spouses and children.
For the full article please go here.
More From This Series Insuring Your Health
On the plus side, nearly two-thirds of companies are still offering health insurance to their employees, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation's annual survey of employer health benefits. That's worth a lot.
But that coverage won't come cheap, as premiums, deductibles and cost sharing continue to rise, sometimes even more steeply than in previous years. More employers are also moving to high-deductible plans that shift increasing expenses onto their employees, requiring them to pay more before benefits kick in. And companies are making it pricier to insure spouses and children.
For the full article please go here.
Can Coffee taken daily prevent skin cancer? From MSNBC
Drinking copious amounts of coffee may reduce the risk of the most common type of skin cancer, a new study finds.
Women in the study who drank more than three cups of coffee a day were 20 percent less likely to develop basal cell carcinoma, a slow-growing form of skin cancer, than those who drank less than one cup a month.
For the full article please go here.
Women in the study who drank more than three cups of coffee a day were 20 percent less likely to develop basal cell carcinoma, a slow-growing form of skin cancer, than those who drank less than one cup a month.
For the full article please go here.
Do providers need more EHR training? From HealthcareITnews.com
Yesterday we floated a question about the proper role of government in facilitating system-wide change.
A new report raises an issue on which, in our view, there’s only one good answer.
The issue is the amount of training physicians are getting with new EHR systems. The standard recommendation, apparently, is “that doctors receive three to five days of initial training to adequately use their EHRs.”
And a new survey indicates that’s not happening.
The survey data was gathered over the course of a year from more than 2,300 physicians, and there’s definitely food for policymaker thought. For the full article please go here.
A new report raises an issue on which, in our view, there’s only one good answer.
The issue is the amount of training physicians are getting with new EHR systems. The standard recommendation, apparently, is “that doctors receive three to five days of initial training to adequately use their EHRs.”
And a new survey indicates that’s not happening.
The survey data was gathered over the course of a year from more than 2,300 physicians, and there’s definitely food for policymaker thought. For the full article please go here.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
"Medical Minds" by author Jerome Groopman from Kaiser Health News
Medical decisions can seem overwhelming, especially when you’re sick and scared. In their new book, "Your Medical Mind: How To Decide What Is Right For You," oncologist and New Yorker writer Jerome Groopman and his wife, endocrinologist Pamela Hartzband, team up to help readers recognize the many influences on their medical decisions and encourage them to chart their own path. They recently discussed their book with me. To read the full article please go here.
15 step game plan to reach patients via social media.
ROCHESTER, MN – A social media guide for physicians is being released Monday by Avvo at the Third Annual Health Care Social Media Summit, which kicks off at the Mayo Clinic.
Avvo, which touts itself as the world’s largest online directory for doctors and lawyers, is making its free guide, “Being Influential Online: Social Media Tactics for Physicians,” available to attendees who drop by its sponsor table at the conference. For full article please go here.
Avvo, which touts itself as the world’s largest online directory for doctors and lawyers, is making its free guide, “Being Influential Online: Social Media Tactics for Physicians,” available to attendees who drop by its sponsor table at the conference. For full article please go here.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Can Better Patient Discharges Reduce Readmissions?
Can Better Patient Discharges Reduce Readmissions?
By Tina Spector October 03, 2011
A hospital builds a new patient discharge process around education, communication and community outreach.
Video Interview online
access here
By Tina Spector October 03, 2011
A hospital builds a new patient discharge process around education, communication and community outreach.
Video Interview online
access here
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