Posts Tagged ‘costs’
Prepare Your Cardiology Department for the Changing Environment
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, and along with stroke accounted for 16% [...] Read More »
Supply Cost Management for Mid-Size Hospitals
Achieving elevated supply chain performance and reducing costs requires a best practice approach and an incredible amount of resources. It [...] Read More »
More Proposed Reimbursement Cuts for Radiation Oncology
It seems that every year the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finds additional ways to cut reimbursement for [...] Read More »
Can Technology be the Answer to Controlling ER Costs?
To back this up, a recent study performed by Harvard Medical School projected savings of $4.3 billion per year if hybrid systems were to be implemented in patients homes, emergency rooms, prisons, nursing home facilities, and physician offices. So it seems as though, telehealth offers a pretty good return on your investment. Read More »
The Role of Physicians in Outpatient Surgery Costs
Turns out there are two factors that drive surgical costs: time/labor and consumables. According to a National Health Statistics Report, the average time spent in the operating room during an ASC outpatient surgery was 43.2 minutes compared to 61.7 minutes in hospital centers. Patients also spent less time in the postoperative recovery room in an ASC (79.0 verses 53.1 minutes). This better patient throughput also results in a more efficient usage of capital equipment. Read More »
The Integration of Technology and Quality
While putting together an article about infection-control technology, I spoke with an administrator who discussed spending over $200,000 on hand washing education. That doesnt sound like leading-edge stuff but its an important part of the process. Considering whats at stake with new legislative directives, providers will have to cover all bases for the changes to come. Read More »
Deep Impact
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the consumer price index (CPI) for medical care has risen 3.3% and prescription drug costs rose an average 4.4% last year. Because of this, pharmaceutical costs are a major focal point for controlling expenses, especially since pharmaceuticals represent the third largest (15%) hospital cost, behind labor (50%) and supplies (20%). Read More »
Value of Healthcare IT
As Dr. Skiba said, the basic goal of IT is improving outcomes and reducing waste. Considering healthcare wastes $1.2 trillion every year, there is lot of potential for savings. One recent study placed an emphasis on direct operational savings, which were seen in reduced medical records and better charge capture and coding ($210 billion). Read More »