Ready or not, price transparency is coming. On Jan 1, 2021, the much-anticipated hospital price transparency rules from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) go into effect. Finalized in November 2019, these rules require hospitals to publicize their list of standard charges for items and services ranging from supplies and room and board […]
When patients call a health system to schedule an appointment, they expect the same experience whether they’re talking to primary care, neurology, or pediatrics. And they expect to be able to get an appointment that meets their preferences for location, date, time of day, and provider. In theory, this should be an efficient process, but […]
Under pressure to increase productivity while reducing operating expenses, more healthcare organizations are looking at Kronos for Workforce Management to better understand and manage their staffing levels and labor costs. Other considerations putting WFM in the spotlight include workplace safety, the shift to remote work, compliance requirements, and union contracts and policies, just to name […]
Cyber security is a top-of-mind concern for healthcare organizations, especially when it comes to the medical devices that support patient care. In recent years, the vulnerability of connected infusion pumps and patient monitors has been exposed by high-profile ransomware attacks, such as WannaCry, and experts say the risks will grow as Operational Technology (OT) devices […]
As a training specialist with over 20 Cerner Go-Lives under my belt, I have worked with thousands of individuals in healthcare organizations to ensure they were trained and ready to transition to a new electronic health records solution. And not surprisingly, I have encountered some reluctant students over the years. Some healthcare professionals claim to […]
The pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic are shining a light on the central importance of the lab to the clinical goals of a hospital or health system. COVID-specific challenges for hospital lab professionals range from new billing and documentation requirements to the setup and configuration of drive-through test facilities. These challenges are also highlighting the […]
Legacy systems are a challenge for all companies, especially those who grow through acquisition or need to focus on immediate profitability after a merger. Modernizing and consolidating systems is often left out of acquisition timelines. Unfortunately, this often leaves IT with a patchwork of legacy systems to manage and a lack of partnership between IT […]
One of the biggest challenges for health systems as their workforces return to the hospital and practice setting – whether it’s due to the end of self-quarantine or the easing of a work-at-home policy – is minimizing the number of shared touchpoints that employees have. Organizations are trying to do everything they can to reduce […]
If you’ve been employed at a hospital or health system during the past decade, chances are you’ve worked with or at least encountered an outside consultant or consulting team. Maybe you saw us roaming the halls or hunched over our laptops in conference rooms. Maybe we shadowed your day-to-day work to see what you do. […]
As hospitals continue to reschedule the backlog of elective surgeries cancelled due to COVID-19, guidelines and best practices continue to evolve. Increasing urgency due to the cumulative effect of delays on patient health and hospital revenues has pushed hospitals to quickly implement new workflows using the best information available. Whether your organization is in the […]
“Why do I have to add the vitals to my note if I already documented them?” “I ordered and documented a procedure; why doesn’t the system know the charge?” As an Epic builder, I hear a lot of complaints, like those above, from providers who want to know why so much data entry is required […]
Employee safety, always a top priority for healthcare organizations, has become even more important as workplaces around the country have begun to reopen and shift from COVID-19 response to recovery. According to an April survey of 305 U.S.-based CFOs by PwC, 22 percent of businesses plan to incorporate contact tracing into their Return to Work […]