February 15, 2013 Gabriel Perna
In an NCQA webinar, managing partner and CEO of Crystal Run Healthcare, Hal Teitelbaum, M.D., talked about the mentality his organization has in being an ACO. It’s clear being an ACO, and getting accreditation from the NCQA, is not something that can be done with negligence.
February 7, 2013 Gabriel Perna
When it comes to patients’ skills and knowledge on their care, more equals less, according to the recently published findings of one research team. The study found the most tuned in patients cost 8-to-21 percent less than the costs of patients with the lowest level of activation. It’s just one more piece of evidence that supports this growing movement.
January 30, 2013 Gabriel Perna
In the process of conducting research for my most recent feature, I came to realize one thing about how hospitals across this country are trying to improve the patient-centered culture. It’s not about high-definition TVs, better food, temperature-controlled rooms, and a quiet night’s rest. It’s about better communication.
January 23, 2013 Gabriel Perna
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) Federal Readmissions Reduction Program is once again receiving a critical eye. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health say the initiative would punish hospitals that serve the uninsured and poor patients.
January 14, 2013 Gabriel Perna
Can entrepreneurs, healthcare providers, payers, app developers, and other stakeholders figure out a way to turn people’s obsession with simplistic smartphone games like Angry Birds into the next health enterprise? If they can, I think you’ll be seeing it in a lot more places.
January 4, 2013 Gabriel Perna
For those in the healthcare industry, there are countless things that could be filed under, “New Year’s resolution.” Perhaps more than anything else, providers should look at ways of preventing data breaches, which have become a growing issue.
December 21, 2012 Gabriel Perna
What an exciting year we had in health IT. It was my first complete one at Healthcare Informatics and I think I picked a good one. There was big-time policy news, a record-breaking HIMSS conference, and a plethora of interesting health IT leaders and cutting-edge projects, all helping push this industry into a new direction where quality is the standard. Looking back at the year that was, I think five moments stand out for me personally.
December 18, 2012 Gabriel Perna
For advocates of rural health IT, last week was an interesting one to say the least. There was hope for the future, and a look at the reality of the current situation. While the FCC announced the creation of the Healthcare Connect Fund, the GAO reported on a digital divide when it comes to Medicaid EHR incentive payments.
December 7, 2012 Gabriel Perna
In a recent webinar, an analyst for Frost & Sullivan talked about how thanks to a variety of factors, there has never been a better opportunity for mHealth applications to change the way chronic diseases are treated. After listening to this webinar, I can’t say I disagree.
November 30, 2012 Gabriel Perna
More hospitals and healthcare systems have adopted online ER reservations bringing a popular service in the dining industry to healthcare. However while some see it as a good way to increase patient population scores, others are a little more leery.
