In the highly regulated world of healthcare, effective policy management is critical to ensuring compliance, reducing risk, and maintaining patient safety. Yet, many hospitals and healthcare organizations still rely on outdated methods for managing policies—at their peril. Using outdated systems can make it challenging to track updates, enforce consistency, and ensure staff always have access to the most current versions. Audits and accreditation reviews can become unnecessarily complex and time-consuming.

As healthcare leaders, your commitment to excellence in patient care is paramount. One of the keys to achieving this is through a robust Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) program. The five domains of QAPI—Design and Scope, Governance and Leadership, Feedback, Data Systems and Monitoring, Performance Improvement Projects, and Systematic Analysis and Systemic Improvement—are foundational to the success of any skilled nursing facility. Let’s delve into why each domain is vital and how they collectively enhance care quality.

Learn more about some recent findings that are drawing more attention to the nurse burnout problem in the United States. In this article there are examples of some root causes, with helpful suggestions that will help build resilience in each of the healthcare professionals. Not only are there ways for organizations to make a positive impact against nurse burnout, but healthcare leaders can model empowering behaviors in the interest of combating this problem.

A large healthcare system located in Florida was opening a new facility and needed a way to address gaps in training for its coding staff.

We understand that financial stress is a significant concern for many healthcare professionals*, which is why we are thrilled to share Plannery’s solution. Plannery is revolutionizing financial well-being for healthcare professionals. Their unique business model has already achieved remarkable results, saving thousands of dollars for nurses, and other caregivers, while improving employee retention in hospitals that offer this benefit.

A comprehensive coding audit requires thoughtful preparation, including identifying its goals and scope, in order to achieve the desired results.

With flu season fast approaching, it’s time to gain valuable insight into how you can leverage your team of nurses and optimize floating in your facility without hurting retention or employee satisfaction.

As early as the 1970s, it was evident that safety and compliance were key to providing quality healthcare. The United States government recognized this and established the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) in 1976 to provide guidance for healthcare institutions to achieve effective compliance (Office of Inspector General, 2023). The General Compliance Program Guidance contains much useful guidance for stakeholders tasked with compliance. Though these guidelines are voluntary, they are the standard by which compliance within the healthcare industry is measured. Compliance with these guidelines can also help entities avoid the possibility of a Corporate Integrity Agreement to enforce remediation of problems with various policies or procedures (Office of Inspector General, n.d.).

The ESI Handbook Fifth Edition is simplified and better organized. Each chapter is now labeled with the decision point covered by that chapter making it easier for nurses to quickly find and reference information. HealthStream offers emergency nursing education to ensure your emergency nurses are employing best practices that are evidence-based and research backed while improving patient outcomes. Contact HealthStream today to learn more about how this evidence-based education can help your team deliver safe, quality care for your patients.

HealthStream’s revenue cycle training program can support your organization’s efforts to empower your RCM team with the right knowledge to support a healthier bottom line.

Preparing students for their future clinical placements can feel chaotic and overwhelming, but it is possible to impose some order on the process while reducing risk and improving your organization’s ability to onboard students and easily create accurate reports for your organization and its’ clinical and academic partners. myClinicalExchange can help build competence and compliance while helping to reduce the time and costs associated with the process.

With the announcement of CMS 3442-F minimum staffing standards, there is a profound impact for long-term care facilities. These changes require facilities to document and demonstrate the increase of RNs and nurse aides on staff to CMS. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the changes and how they affect your facilities, HealthStream is here to help with staffing plan templates, facility assessments, and more.

In a recent webinar, HealthStream’s myClinicalExchange team shared some exciting updates and enhancements to this solution as part of their quarterly update to customers.

The U.S. has a shockingly high maternal mortality rate, ranking 65th in the world. This blog explores the causes, emerging solutions, and future potential for improving maternal health outcomes in the US.

With over 20,000 clinicians across 30 hospitals and 200 care sites, Ardent Health, an acute care health system including medical and surgical hospitals, excels in service and patient experience delivery across New Jersey, Texas, New Mexico, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

There are multiple variables to balance when constructing shift schedules for healthcare staff. One key factor for hospital managers to consider is patient acuity, and yet there is much discussion about how to consider it when making staffing decisions.

Nurse strikes are becoming more common. Learn how HR teams can \nexpedite license verifications for temporary resources with Workforce Validate.

Promotion to a nurse leadership role introduces a new world of responsibilities. As the link between healthcare administrators and bedside nursing staff, these leadership positions require those who can think creatively to improve patient outcomes and ensure safety and quality of care. Successful leadership development in nursing requires focusing on five core competency skills that are foundational to new nurse leaders.

As healthcare organizations face significant financial uncertainty due to rising costs, reimbursement challenges, and economic fluctuations, they must look for ways to optimize their revenue cycle management (RCM). Along with technological advancements in RCM, focused and comprehensive RCM education is a vital step in improving operations and profitability in today’s market.

The Quadruple Aim is a 4-part strategy aimed at improving healthcare for patients and providers. This blog post examines the Aim centered on improving healthcare outcomes, which requires healthcare to change its focus from care volumes to outcomes.