-
While the RAC audits could mean significant financial losses for your hospital, a fraud or abuse lawsuit could cost you more. A lot more, says Cheryl Wagonhurst, partner with Folley & Lardner LLP. Some of the "hottest" issues right now that you should be looking at are:
-
Replacing the core measure set for pregnancy and related conditions, which comprised three measures, The Joint Commission has introduced a core measure set on perinatal care, with data collection beginning with April 1 discharges.
-
With the ever-growing focus on transparency, hospitals are demanding more from quality improvement professionals. When Paul L. Green, RN, MS, CPHQ, started his career in health care, QI professionals ran data and filed them away.
-
"We're all glad it's pretty much over," Margaret VanAmringe, MHS, The Joint Commission's vice president for public policy and government relations, says with a laugh.
-
Bon Secours St. Francis Health System received nearly $2 million in denials and successfully appealed the vast majority of them during the few months the Greenville, SC, hospital was part of the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) demonstration project, says James T. Jones, PhD, RN, administrative director, case management and patient documentation for the Bon Secours St. Francis Health System.
-
Preventing patient falls is a constant struggle for hospitals. And as Medicare has cut reimbursement for falls as a "never event" and patients are getting increasingly older and sicker, it will continue to be a challenge.
-
When a dedicated nurse and a quality improvement consultant come together, beautiful things can happen. It starts with an idea, a problem that begs for a solution, and then the work on finding the answers begins.
-
A combination of face-to-face and telephonic case management has resulted in high patient satisfaction ratings and a significant decrease in health care utilization for patients with complex medical needs.
-
You know just how complex your job is. How can you get your board on board with quality and not overwhelm them?
-
When staff at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) began working on reducing ventilator-associated pneumonia rates, they armed themselves with more than a bundle.
