Perhaps the most troubling aspect of current events in our country is the increase in mass violence. And unfortunately, the health care environment is not immune to societal trends.more...
Nurses, we’ve all been there: our first day on the floor as a new graduate nurse. I remember mine. Six-thirty in the morning, walking onto the cardiac unit with a slightly nauseous feeling, hoping that my preceptor would be nice, that I wouldn’t make any mistakes, and that I would appear to actually know something. Little did I know that first day would be easy compared to some that would follow.more...
The month of May, named after Maia, the goddess of fertility – along with the goddess of spring and growth – is the perfect time to remind the women we love how important it is to stay healthy – and not just because we celebrate Mother’s Day. The month is chock full of female-friendly observances designed to ensure that women keep their health top of mind. more...
In a previous blog, one of my colleagues shared information about CMS adding a second cohort to Bundled Payment for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI Advanced), and the addition of outpatient total knee arthroplasty to this voluntary program, which provides utilization and spend data for hospitalization plus 90 days of the episode. The application period for the second cohort opened on April 24 and will only be open until June 24.more...
As we celebrate National Nurses Week, I reflect on this past year and my professional and personal experience in assisting the new graduate RN on the journey to becoming a professional, skilled nurse. more...
While watching a recent episode of a medical television series, I was particularly fascinated by the way they showed how droplets from a sneeze spread from the emergency room throughout the hospital. The droplets could be seen as glowing and moving dots! The droplets traveled easily and quickly without anyone noticing them. Just like in real life, we don’t “see” the germs, making it easier than we realize for infection to spread.more...
As health care continues to evolve with new technologies and continued pressure to lower costs, health systems must also evolve to decrease variation in care and eliminate waste – all of this without affecting patient outcomes. It’s a seemingly tall order, but one within reach of fulfilling.more...
In a recent Vizient webcast about successful practice transformation in ambulatory care delivery, I was asked, “How does the patient know when they’ve experienced true team-based care?” It was a great question and, quite frankly, I had to think about it. I could provide a textbook definition, but could I accurately describe what it looks like to the patient?more...
Recent communications from CMS included the addition of hospital outpatient total knee arthroplasty to the second cohort for Bundled Payment for Care Improvement-Advanced (BPCI-A). For those providers still undecided on BPCI-A, or even those 16% who took the opt-out and withdrew from the program, the second cohort is an opportunity not to be overlooked.more...
