While a main precept of the Affordable Care Act is to expand access to health care, in some cases that improved access means more patients are being treated with medications that come with a cost. As a pharmacist, I have to be an insurance sleuth, use common sense, and teach…more.
This is the first of a two-part series on what’s working to prevent and address needle fear. Most people don’t enjoy shots. But for those with needle phobia, the fear of shots can be so severe that they actively avoid medical procedures involving injections, and in extreme cases avoid medical…more.
Every year U.S. News & World Report comes out with its “Best Hospitals” rankings, and providers wear them like a badge of honor. No doubt the recognition is prestigious. But how many people know why hospitals are ranked as they are? We decided to dig a little deeper and break…more.
When Danielle Deines crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, she had no idea her unique medical training as Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine would make a real difference in the life-and-death events that would soon unfold. A 2012 graduate of the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine…more.
To help stem the tide and high cost of persisting disparities in U.S. health care, providers are leveraging Community Health Workers (CHWs) as critical players in improving health outcomes by successfully linking “vulnerable” patient populations to better care. Living in the communities where they work, CHWs understand what is meaningful…more.
Central-line catheters are lifesavers. They’re used in hospitals to deliver therapy where needed and when needed for patients with a wide range of conditions. Unfortunately, central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) result in thousands of deaths each year and billions of dollars in added costs to the U.S. health care system,…more.
Pardee Memorial Hospital in Hendersonville, N.C., shaved nearly $405,000 from its Emergency Room (ER) expenses over a one-year period thanks to an integrated program that its founder calls a “patient-centered medical home on steroids.” The program, Bridges to Health, helped its uninsured participants reduce their ER visits from an average…more.
Hospitalizations dropped by almost 3,000 people over a two-year period in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, thanks to a variety of quality changes and investments in electronic health records (EHR). This tool collects and shares critical health information about individual patients and populations across health care settings. The nearly 11 percent drop…more.
You might be in a “utilization management program” and not know what that means or why it matters to your health. Offered by a variety of employers across industries, utilization management programs are designed to help patients evaluate their health care options and make decisions about the type of services they receive.…more.
The Cleveland Clinic believes it will, especially when it produces better patient outcomes and improves care across a spectrum of services. As part of the recent wave of hospital mergers and acquisitions designed to improve quality and lower costs, Cleveland Clinic recently entered a long-term strategic alliance with Community Health…more.
