Healthcare Strategic Management articles from March 2007

Healthcare Strategic Management archives from March 2007

Establish quality with data, word-of-mouth.(North Mississippi Medical Center, initiatives for improvement of quality of service, winner of 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award)
March 1, 2007... North Mississippi Medical Center (NMMC) in Tupelo had a problem with its emergency department (ED). Patient and community surveys showed that the hospital's reputation was suffering from long wait times in the ED--often four to six hours from...

Physician recruitment tactics offer docs peace of mind.
March 1, 2007... An aging baby boomer population. Medicare, Medicaid, and managed care reimbursement changes and cutbacks. Physicians seeking a different, more-relaxed lifestyle and, in turn, working fewer hours than their predecessors. The increased likelihood...

Are retail clinics a valid business model or a passing fad?
March 1, 2007... Retail-based clinics have been heralded by some as a must-have strategy to address the new healthcare consumerism movement, which demands fast and convenient service for minor medical care. But others wonder whether it's just a passing fad,...

Teach your physicians to publish (and prosper).(Worth reading)
March 1, 2007... Positioning your physicians as experts in their fields can imbue your brand with increased name recognition and credibility and, ultimately, bring in new business. But convincing busy physicians to find time to publish can be tricky. Short of...

Survey shows turmoil between hospitals and docs.(Worth reading)
March 1, 2007... With more physicians drifting away from hospitals to become owners of specialized outpatient facilities, hospitals are struggling not only to compete, but also to keep their emergency departments (ED) staffed with enough physicians to meet...

So many projects, so little money.(hospitals, capital expenditures)
March 1, 2007... As every hospital's chief financial officer (CFO) knows, the list of capital proposals exceeds the budget every year. And as the nation's aging hospital infrastructure attempts to meet an increasing demand for services, deciding how to spend...

Outpatient outlook.(Worth reading)
March 1, 2007... As more procedures move from hospitals to freestanding care centers, providers should heed subtle shifts that may affect the future of outpatient services. Minimally invasive and interventional procedures have decreased the need for lengthy...

Healthcare blogging picture becoming clearer.(Worth reading)
March 1, 2007... F. Nicholas Jacobs, CEO ofWindber Research Institute and Windber (PA) Medical Center, deepened his hospital's relationship with the community and improved his relations with hospital staff after starting one blog and contributing to another....

DVD recruits male nurses.(Strategic notes)
March 1, 2007... Men make up less than 10% of the nurse population in the United States, but makers of a new documentary hope to show men that nursing is a viable career option. The 30-minute documentary titled Career Encounters: Men in Nursing was produced by...

Mission Hospitals launches free legal help service.(Strategic notes)
March 1, 2007... Mission Hospitals in North Carolina is offering a new service called Health Education and Legal Support (HEALS), which provides low-income patients with free, on-site legal services at the hospital's campus. Through the program, an...

Business groups release guide for value-driven care.(The Purchaser's Guide to Value-Driven Health Care)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... The Partnership for Value-Driven Health Care, a consortium of U.S. business groups, has announced the release of The Purchaser's Guide to Value-Driven Health Care, a publication designed to help employers make value-driven healthcare a priority...

Employees pitch in for new ER.(Strategic notes)
March 1, 2007... Here's a fundraising technique you might not have considered: Doctors, nurses, and other employees at Staten Island (NY) University Hospital's Ocean Breeze emergency room (ER) are so committed to quality emergency care that they've donated...

Hotel Good Samaritan.(Strategic notes)
March 1, 2007... The new Surgical Institute at Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach, FL, is designed to make patients feel as if they're staying at a cushy hotel, according to The Palm Beach Daily News. Decorated with artwork and large vases of...

Price transparency comes to Iowa.(Strategic notes)
March 1, 2007... The Iowa Hospital Association has launched a Web site (www.ihaonline.org) that allows patients to obtain information about the costs of healthcare at hospitals in the state. Visitors to the free site can click on "Iowa Hospital Price Point" to...

Retail clinics on the rise in CA.(Sutter Ambulatory Care Corp. operates four retail clinics in California)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Walk-in healthcare clinics tucked inside local pharmacies are giving patients quick, easy access to doctors and nurse practitioners in California. Sutter Express Care operates four retail-based clinics in and around Sacramento, CA. Two more are...

Tell me where it hurts.(Strategic notes)(Clinical report)
March 1, 2007... Most patients think their doctor treats them respectfully, listens to them, and cares about their well-being, according to a poll of 39,000 patients and 335 doctors conducted by Consumer Reports National Research Center. Other survey...

Americans support incentives to fight obesity.(Statistical notes)
March 1, 2007... Americans overwhelmingly support public policies designed to decrease the prevalence of adulthood obesity, such as incentives to employers and insurance companies that promote healthy lifestyles, according to a survey by Duke University Medical...

Women pay more attention to direct mail.(Strategic notes)
March 1, 2007... Even with the boom of new media, a new study from Baltimore-based market research firm Vertis Communications shows that direct-marketing techniques are still effective, especially when aimed at women. Eighty-five percent of women aged 25-44...

More than 20% of healthcare workers will leave their jobs.(Research notes)
March 1, 2007... Seventeen percent of healthcare workers are unhappy with their jobs, and 21% will leave their jobs in the coming year, according to a Careerbuilder.com survey. The data were collected in a survey of more than 800 healthcare workers in 2006....

Low contributions threaten consumer-driven care.(Research notes)
March 1, 2007... On average, contributions to health savings accounts (HSA) in the United States are only half of what the typical consumer will need, according to a report from Vimo.com, a healthcare comparison-shopping Web site. "HSA market penetration...

Strategies to aid retention, foster growth, or accomplish both.(Physician relations)
March 1, 2007... Often, as a physician-relations program moves from concept to implementation, there is a great deal of internal dialogue about which physicians the representatives should target for their sales calls. Should they concentrate on those loyal...