It is day three of our 12 Days of Christmas Posts and we say Merci! to groups of three! Here are our Top 3 read posts for the year from each of our sites. Every month we compile our Top 10 posts that deserve a second read. This list takes those lists just one step further. Here are the most read and shared posts of the year. Plus a special shout-out to our dependable contributors who have written about some very interesting topics. Thank you to all these authors that have shared their thoughts with us and our readers.
From HITECH Answers
Three Ways Technology Can Address Healthcare’s Growing Pains
By Nancy Pratt, Chief Operating Officer, AirStrip
Twitter: @AirStripmHealth
Science and medicine continue to advance at an astonishing rate thanks to technological innovation. We have already seen digital health solutions that promise to transform patient care in our lifetime. While these advancements are indeed groundbreaking for the healthcare industry, there are still basic day-to-day care processes in hospitals across the country ripe for improvement by applying technology. Continue reading on HITECHAnswers.net…
Attack of a Paper Tiger: Ignoring Own Policies Leads to HIPAA Fine
By Matt Fisher, Attorney and chair of the Mirick O’Connell’s Health Law Group
Twitter: @matt_r_fisher
Host of Healthcare de Jure – #HCdeJure
On June 18, 2018, the Office for Civil Rights released a decision and memorandum from an Administrative Law Judge following a dispute over HIPAA fines imposed against The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MD Anderson). The decision for all intents and purposes draws a clear line in the sand that encryption, despite being an addressable element under the Security Rule, cannot be avoided. Continue reading on HITECHAnswers.net…
MPI vs. EMPI: Comparing Patient Matching Value and Performance for the Healthcare Enterprise
By Gevik Nalbandian, Vice President of Software Engineering, NextGate
Twitter: @NextGate
Patient matching issues that result in duplicate records cost hospitals $1.5M a year, at an average of $1,950 per patient, and the U.S. healthcare system over $6 billion annually, according to a new survey by Black Book Research. The poll of 1,392 health technology managers found that before implementing an enterprise master patient index (EMPI) for managing patient identification, duplicates accounted for 18 percent of an organization’s records. Continue reading on HITECHAnswers.net…
From HealthData Answers
Adapting Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to Nursing Communication
By Rhonda Collins, Chief Nursing Officer, Vocera
Twitter: @VoceraComm
Nurses deal with many stressful demands and constant interruptions in their work environments. A feeling of chaos breeds fatigue, and together, chaos and fatigue are part of a bigger picture that can wear down a nurse’s capacity for compassion and joy at work. The experience of a busy day with multiple urgent tasks and ongoing requests can be exhausting. The simple act of making an important call to a colleague, but not having the phone number, can even complicate a nurse’s work to the point of frustration. Frustration can chip away at patience and well-being. Continue reading on HealthDataAnswers.net…
Healthcare Data Ownership: Turning Patients into Proactive Consumers
By Scott Corbitt, MHA, BSN, RN, VP of Commercial Operations, AirStrip
Twitter: @AirStripmHealth
Twitter: @Scott_Corbitt
The healthcare data explosion has prompted thorny debates over data ownership and access. Obviously, patients have a vested interest in having access to their own personal health history, but the data holds value for other stakeholders as well. For example, providers need a complete patient picture to provide personalized care, and researchers want to aggregate and analyze data to establish trends and predictive insights. Continue reading on HealthDataAnswers.net…
University of Michigan Research Project and Opioid Abuse
By Brian Mack, Manager of Marketing and Communications at Great Lakes Health Connect
Twitter: @GLHC_HIE
Twitter: @BFMack
A University of Michigan research project, called the “System for Opioid Overdose Surveillance” (S.O.S.) is leveraging health data from multiple sources to understand the impact of opioid use and abuse. Great Lakes Health Connect (GLHC) has partnered with the S.O.S. project to gather clinical information from acute care emergency departments in Michigan. This data is combined with clinical information from emergency medical services and medical examiners to provide further insight into the number and general location of opioid-related abuse, overdose, and death. Continue reading on HealthDataAnswers.net…
From RCM Answers
Virtual Care: Telehealth’s New Value Proposition
By Lee Horner, CEO, Synzi
Twitter: @SynziCare
Twitter: @lee_a_horner
Many providers are still wary of telehealth, as they are of any tool or technology that will require them to practice differently. However, emerging technology which does not require providers to alter their workflows are revealing a totally new value proposition that could rapidly accelerate its adoption across the U.S. Virtual care platforms are the answer to enhancing the timing and quality of care delivery. Continue reading on RCMAnswers.net…
Population Health Management Requires a Holistic View of Patient Data
By Jerry Shultz, President, Lightbeam Health
Twitter: @LightbeamHealth
To succeed under value-based reimbursement, accountable care organizations (ACOs) and clinically integrated networks (CINs) must be able to manage population health. One key to effective population health management is a holistic view of patient data. The data in a single physician practice’s EHR is insufficient to create the comprehensive view needed to help clinicians reach quality targets and cut costs significantly. Continue reading on RCMAnswers.net…
The Future of HIM Quality Audits
By Betty Schulte, RHIT, CCS, CCS-P, Director, Compliance & Quality Audit Services, himagine solutions
Twitter: @himagineInc
All health information management (HIM) leaders know that coding quality audits are critical. We can all agree the consequences of substandard coding – lost revenue, increased denials, and greater compliance risk – make the development of a comprehensive coding audit program a priority for healthcare providers of all sizes. Unfortunately, scarce resources and conflicting priorities force many providers to compromise their compliance programs. But now more than ever, audits of coding and documentation quality are critical to the success of healthcare providers. Continue reading on RCMAnswers.net…
Thank You to Our Contributors
We also want to acknowlege our faithful contributors who have written some excellent posts this year. Thanks to them for sharing their thoughts with us & our readers!
Read All Our Industry Expert Posts
- On HITECH Answers
- On HealthData Answers
- On RCM Answers