OR Business
Early action advised to achieve better OAS CAHPS responses
Mandatory implementation of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Survey (OAS CAHPS) originally scheduled for 2018 has been delayed, but that does not mean it should be ignored, say ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leaders. The earliest projected date when the survey could become mandatory…
CMS: 1,299 providers join new bundled payment initiative
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on October 9 announced that 1,299 healthcare providers are participating in its new Bundled Payments for Care Improvement−Advanced model, which began October 1 and will continue until December 31, 2023. The program includes 32 bundled clinical episodes (29 inpatient, 3…
Nurse-to-patient ratios could result in high costs
Editor's Note Massachusetts voters in November will determine whether mandated nurse-to-patient staffing ratios will go into effect January 1, 2019, the October 3 SFGate reports. Implementing the ratios could cost providers $676 million to $949 million per year, according to an analysis by an independent state agency. A union representing…
Hospital employment continues to increase in September
Editor's Note US hospitals added 12,000 jobs in September to a seasonally adjusted 5,202,900, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on October 5. That is up 102,700 more employees than a year ago. Overall, healthcare employment has increased 301,500 in the past year. The overall unemployment rate is 3.7% (down…
Women’s Choice Award announces 2019 Best Children’s Hospitals
Editor's Note The Women’s Choice Award announced on October 1 the Best Children’s Hospitals for 2019. The select group were chosen from nearly 60 Children’s Hospitals in the nation and represent those that have met the highest standards for childcare. Award winners include: Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, Omaha Connecticut…
CMS easing safety-net hospitals’ readmission penalties
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), on orders from Congress, is easing its annual readmission penalties on hospitals servicing low-income residents, the September 26 Kaiser Health News reports. The penalties are part of the Affordable Care Act’s effort to encourage better care. The sanctions have been…
For-profit hospitals linked to higher readmission rates
Editor's Note Patients who receive care in for-profit hospitals are more likely to be readmitted than patients in nonprofit public hospitals, this study finds. Using data from 14,307 hospital reports from the national Hospital Readmission Reduction Program for six major diseases, including coronary artery bypass grafting and total hip and…
CMS plans innovative new VBP models
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will be unveiling new payment models centered on high-cost areas as part of ongoing efforts to advance value-based payment (VBP) care, and some models could be mandatory, the September 20 Healthcare Finance News reports. Healthcare providers can expect reduced regulatory…
Orthopedic bundled payment models on the fast track--Part 2
According to a 2016 McKesson report, payers expect value-based reimbursement, including bundled payments, to grow from a third of their business to a majority of it in 5 years. And as noted in Part 1 of this two-part series (OR Manager, September 2018, 1, 13-17), bundles are advancing on multiple…
New service lines can create opportunities for ORs
As hospital administrators face shrinking operating margins, OR leaders are being called upon to create innovative approaches for boosting revenue. Adding a new service line is one option, but it carries both risks and rewards. Only by careful analysis and follow-through can OR leaders hope to tip the balance to…
Free Daily News
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- Hospital’s anesthesia reforms slash carbon footprint, expenses
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