Hospitals with readmission rates that exceed the national average are penalized by a reduction in payments across all of their Medicare admissions—not just those which resulted in readmissions. CMS began imposing penalties in FY2013 when the maximum penalty was 1% of the hospital’s base inpatient claims.

A CIA requires significant attention, data collection, legal defense, negotiation, new systems, new policies, oversight, and enforcement, possibly for many years. Healthcare facilities of all types, including hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturers, long-term care, physician groups, and more have all seen increases in CIAs. Yet, these organizations often struggle with what to do if a recipient of one.

On August 31st Health Economist Austin Frakt published an article in in the New York Times “TheUpshot” column suggesting “A New Way to Think About Conflicts of Interest in Medicine”.

The best chart is usually not the newest, most elaborate, or most colorful. In fact, it's often the opposite. You don’t order a medical test for a patient just because you can--don’t just use the sexiest chart available either. So, how do you determine which chart is right for your audience?

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program® honors hospitals for excellence in nursing leadership, clinical practice, innovations, and positive outcomes. The current program has its roots in a ground-breaking study conducted by the American Academy of Nursing over 30 years ago.

For healthcare organizations, retention is critical in achieving patient-centered excellence. When retention suffers, the impact is felt across many hospital strategic priorities. Many organizations create a strategic goal around retention or employee turnover; however, retention matters, not in and of itself, but because of the outcome the goal produces.