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...
The use of a value analysis process in the health care setting isn’t new. In fact, it’s become a strategic imperative for health care organizations as they work to provide the highest-quality, most cost-effective care for their patients. However, in my experience the one complaint I hear most often is, “Why does it take so long to put through an initiative? Where is the speed to value?”more...
You arrive at 6 a.m., lunch in hand and the hospital is humming quietly. You open the door to your windowless basement office, turn on the lights and power up your computer. As the monitor’s glow transitions to your inbox, you’re reminded of the stack of cost savings and process improvement ideas that you have on the burner. more...
As the advanced practice provider (APP) workforce continues to expand its footprint across the health care landscape, significant focus has been placed on maximizing clinical team capabilities by executing to full scope of practice to provide high-quality, cost-effective care. To achieve these very important goals, organizations must ensure they have the structure to adequately support the needs of the entire provider team and especially for this expanding group of APPs.more...
Each year in the U.S., approximately 700 women die as a result of pregnancy or pregnancy-related complications, according to a report recently published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of all the pregnancy-related deaths reviewed, 60 percent were considered preventable.more...
The statistics are scary. Nearly 5 million Americans are currently living with congestive heart failure (CHF) and approximately 550,000 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. But, that’s only part of the story. Along with diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and acute myocardial infarction, CHF patients fall into the all too familiar group of diseases significantly contributing to preventable hospital readmissions. Scary, too is the financial and reputational...more...
We’ve all heard the saying, “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” as a way of understanding another’s experiences, challenges, thought processes and perspectives. Seeing someone actually do it is a unique experience. Cathy Gray, director, clinical support supply chain at Sentara Healthcare, started her career with Sentara as a registered nurse and over the course of the next several years she served in different nursing roles in both inpatient and outpatient...more...
We can learn a lot when we pause and listen. So the Vizient Center for Advancing Provider Practices (CAP2™) thought leader group did just that. The group has advanced practice provider (APP) leadership representation from each member organization within the CAP2 program and they come together multiple times a year to identify key topics affecting APP practice. During a recent meeting, we wanted to know what some of the greatest challenges the APPs within their organizations face. more...
