Category Archives: healthcare IT
Big Data At Its Best: PremierConnect Driving Next Wave For Members
Adventist Health System (Altamonte Springs, Fla.), Adventist Health (Roseville, Ca.), Adventist Healthcare, Gaithersburg, Md.) and Kettering Health Network (Dayton, Oh.) have pooled their $1.5 billion in demand to save money and improve care delivery. These same members had already saved $5.4 million since forming the initiative two years ago –on top of the more than $200 million combined in quality and cost improvement savings they achieved as Premier members over the same period. Obviously, there is nothing new about Premier members forming regional and national SCM collaboratives, but the success of Premier’s PremierConnect information sharing platform is driving these same [...]
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Best of the Healthcare Supply Chain Honored with GHXcellence Awards
Yesterday, GHX today announced the winners of its 13th Annual GHXcellence Awards. The winners were announced yesterday and are being honored at this year’s GHX Healthcare Supply Chain Summit, currently in progress in Las Vegas. New for this year, GHX honored an individual supply chain leader for work in improving the business of healthcare with its GHXcellence Leadership Award. In early 2013, GHX called on its community to submit nominations for the award and then invited the entire healthcare industry to vote for the winner. This year’s winner is: GHXcellence Leadership Award: Réginé Honoré Villain, corporate director of Supply Chain [...]
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Efficiency vs. Effectiveness: Are We Reaching a Tipping Point?
On my way back from Pittsburgh yesterday, where it actually snowed on Mother’s Day, I had the pleasure of speaking with Paul Martyn, BravoSolution’s vp of supply chain strategy and a previous colleague of mine at CombineNet. Naturally, we quickly found ourselves discussing the current “state of the nation” in all matters concerning healthcare supply chain. Whether or not this is a sad commentary on the state of our relationship is a separate topic. Anyway, we actually landed in a few interesting and provocative places –and here’s an example: Raise your hand if your tired of an SCM strategy that [...]
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What A Hospital Charges Vs. What Medicare Pays — Yet Another Case for Pricing Transparency
According to “A Study of Hospital Charge Setting Practices” by the Lewin Group, “the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has expressed concerns about the accuracy and fairness of the current Medicare hospital in- and out-patient prospective payment systems (PPSs). Payment rates for these systems are based, to varying degrees, on hospital charges. However, little is known about how hospitals set their charges.” Really? Isn’t it getting old. Why the “shell game” with hospital charges? Charging everyone the same published price –a la Walmart—is exactly what Walmart will do at thousands of outpatient clinics, so saying it can’t be done is, [...]
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Fee For Service On Life Support in Michigan –New BCBS & Trinity Contract Sets Industry Example
The new contract between Trinity Health (Trinity owns a dozen hospitals in Michigan that include Saint Mary’s Health Care in Grand Rapids and Mercy Health Partners in Muskegon, both of which now operate under the Mercy Health banner) and BCBS of Michigan puts a heavy spotlight on reform era reimbursement models. This deal highlights the latest and preferred compensation mentality –one that eliminates fee for service in favor of putting the focus on patient outcomes instead. BCBS and Trinity both refer to the agreement as a “value-based contract,” saying it should improve care quality and drive costs lower, not only [...]
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How Does Healthcare IT Re-Invent Itself Amidst a Serious Skilled Labor Shortage?
Would you be surprised to learn that the US Department of Labor expects jobs for medical records and health information technicians to jump 21 percent from 2010 to 2020? And while that may be a good thing for the general economy, it’s a real nightmare for HIT executives who have no option other than to play the new game –by its evolving set of rules– yet can’t find the players to field a competitive team. Despite the fact that hospitals are spending tens of millions upgrading their IT systems, “there’s nobody to work on them” says Steve Ullman, director of health [...]
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Procurement is a Team Sport –But Measuring Individual Performance is Still Key
Throughout the industry, procurement, sourcing and supply chain management software and services spending continues to grow at an astonishing rate — up by more than 30%. The profession(s) continues to advance by most every measure. And while executive “dashboards” of all types continue to proliferate and keep the C-Suite’s appetite for performance metrics fully satiated, has the procurement profession reached a point where it can be trusted to define those metrics and/or measure the value of its own performance? As procurement becomes increasingly responsible for non-traditional areas of spend, its organizational importance will continue to soar. But cost control is [...]
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Why ACO’s Won’t Fail — A Contrarian View?
Will ACOs succeed? Well, if you put a lot of weight behind what the industry’s “commentariat” are saying, you would be hard pressed to place a positive bet. I recently ran across a post by Les Funtleyder, the managing director of Poliwogg, where he took a contrarian view and gave reasons why ACOs will not fail. Here are some excerpts: When ACOs are touted as a saving grace for the system, you can almost hear the collective groan of the industry veterans. Ever the contrarian, however, we took the side of the debate that said ACOs will NOT fail. The [...]
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Inbound Logistics Reveals Top 100 Logistics SCM Technology Providers
An Inbound Logistics magazine survey of approximately 300 logistics and supply chain technology vendors reveals that supply chain managers have more technology tools and delivery methods at their disposal than ever before, making it vital that they select the right solution and provider for their business logistics needs. The study also identifies a new trend: companies are buying technology through their third-party logistics (3PL) providers, as well as directly from solutions vendors. The new market research shows cloud computing has opened new ways for logistics managers to deploy best-of-breed solutions. Variable cost and deployment models make initial technology investments more [...]
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MHA Acquired by Roper Industries
Managed Health Care Associates, Inc. (“MHA”), a diversified health care services and technology company focused on alternate site providers has been acquired by Roper Industries. MHA provides expertise in Group Purchasing, Managed Care and Payer Contracting, Reimbursement Management, Specialty Pharmacy Solutions, Pharmaceutical Data Analytics, Clinical Pharmacy Software and Legislative Advocacy. Roper Industries is also a well-diversified company and is a constituent of the S&P 500, Fortune 1000, and the Russell 1000 indices. Among other things, Roper provides engineered products and solutions for global niche markets, including software information networks, medical, water, energy, and transportation. Going forward, the MHA will be [...]
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California’s Community Medical Centers Joins Premier –PremierConnect Draws Them In
California’s Community Medical Centers joins the Premier Alliance. As central California’s largest healthcare provider and private employer and as a new member (“owner”) of Premier, Community now has the opportunity to collaborate with other Premier members –nearly half of the nation’s hospitals. “Community is excited to partner with Premier to overcome the challenges of this reform environment and lead others in adapting to the changing nature of care delivery with innovative solutions,” said Mr. Jack Chubb, CEO of Community Regional Medical Center. The locally owned nonprofit system will integrate data across its nine network facilities including three acute-care hospitals, as [...]
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A New IDN is Born: Allegheny Health Network Gains Regulatory Approval in Pennsylvania
What’s in a name? Highmark today announced the creation of Allegheny Health Network (AHN) as the region’s newest integrated delivery system. Having finally secured approval from the Pennsylvania Insurance Department on Highmark’s Form A filing, the hospitals and providers of West Penn Allegheny Health System (WPAHS) will now serve as the anchor of the newly formed and already growing Allegheny Health Network. “Today marks a historic and exciting day for health care in our region. I’m pleased to announce Allegheny Health Network as our integrated health care delivery network,” said William Winkenwerder, Jr., M.D., Highmark’s president and CEO. “Allegheny Health [...]
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Novation’s Aptitude Launches Today –One Approach to Solving the Local Contracting Problem
Roughly ten days ago, we reported on Novation’s formation of a new company, called Aptitude, that will offer hospitals and other providers an online platform to negotiate custom contracts for medical supplies and services. Aptitude will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Novation and its services will be available to all comers, not just existing members of its GPO network –surely an enlightened decision that directly addresses a well-known gap in terms of the current contracting solutions coverage provided by most GPOs.Indeed, I’ll soon be posting information about a alternative approach and solution that will be offered by MedAssets. [...]
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New OEM Surgical Imaging Platform Promises To Revolutionize Endoscopic Device Market
Sanovas Inc., a life science technology company specializing in the development and commercialization of micro-invasive diagnostics, devices and drug delivery technologies, announced today the launch of MicroCam™, a new OEM “Plug & Play” micro imaging platform for endoscopic device applications. The technology features proprietary software, electronics, sensors and optics that can provide autonomous imaging capability to most any surgical instrument. Sanovas will offer its imaging technology for integration with medical device makers’ existing portfolios; enabling them to improve their products clinical capabilities, enhance their product offerings and increase their competitive advantage. The system was developed to evolve and, eventually displace large, cumbersome [...]
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Can Unique Device Identification Improve the Patient Experience?
Healthcare Matters would like to welcome the following guest post from Rob Leibrandt. Rob is the Senior Market Manager at Camcode, makers of UDI Labels for Medical Equipment. Unique Device Identification (UDI) is critically important in the healthcare system. In July 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a rule (http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=FDA-2011-N-0090-0001) that would phase in, by device classes, requirements for medical devices to carry a unique device identifier. The benefits to implementing such a requirement include more accurate reporting and tracking of adverse events, more rapid identification of problems with specific products, better control over product recalls and improved patient [...]
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Novation Announces its “Period 2 National Group Buy” –Up to 71% Savings Opportunities on Capital Equipment
Late yesterday, Novation announced the launch of its group buys for the second period of 2013. These particular group buy opportunities are available April through June of 2013. What’s on the table? Novation is saying that its members can achieve up to 71 percent savings in the following categories of capital equipment: Beds and cribs C-ARM systems Chemistry/immunochemistry Cleaning and decontamination Coagulation Cold storage (ends May 31, 2013) CT scanners CV suites Exam room equipment General radiography Hematology Holter monitors Mammography Micro ID sensitivity MRI (and MRI compatible infusion pumps (ends June 15, 2013) Non-invasive cardiology equipment Nuclear medicine Patient [...]
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- Healthcare in the Cloud: Forecast Still Hazy : HIMSS 2013: Top Takeaways Gathering Clouds said: [...] to David McCament’s mind, the future of healthcare cloud is not so clear. In a gue... more
- Time Definite Logistics –MNX Expands Global Network and Adds Track & Trace : Daniel said: Everything is very open with a precise description of the issues. It was definitely inform... more
- Varian Runs a “Clinic” in Effective Lobbying –Harry Reid Rides Shotgun : Thomas Finn said: Thanks for your comment Bo. I do not fully comprehend the differences between the two opti... more
- Varian Runs a “Clinic” in Effective Lobbying –Harry Reid Rides Shotgun : Barton 'Bo' Cooke said: Tom, you nailed it. This rider, put in at the last minute and was rushed into the Congres... more
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