Archive for Featured
Who Really Benefits from the CMS Acute Care Episode Demonstration?
Medicare’s Acute Care Episode Demonstration Project (ACE) has attracted a lot of attention as a way of encouraging greater physician and hospital alignment – presumably to lower the cost of delivering healthcare. But … every good idea has downside implications.
READ THE COMPLETE STORY “Who Really Benefits from the CMS Acute Care Episode Demonstration?” via Better Hospitals.
How Could This Happen?
This week, the administration of Broward General Medical Center announced that a nurse had been reusing single-use IV tubing and saline bags. This problem had gone on for years, putting patients at risk for infectious diseases. Upon learning of the problem through the compliance hotline, the hospital acted responsibly. But one can’t help but ask, “How could this happen?” More importantly, we must ask, “How could this have gone on so long?” READ THE FULL STORY via the Better Hospitals Blog.
Compass Clinical Consulting President Cary Gutbezahl Featured in CEO Refresher Magazine
HEALTH CARE REFORM AND THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
Compass Clinical 
Consulting President Cary Gutbezahl article “Health Care Reform and the Elephant in the Room:Personal Responsibility,” (http://www.refresher.com/acrgpersonal.html) is featured in this month’s edition of CEO Refresher Magazine.
The CEO Refresher has been an on-line source of executive intelligence and insight for over ten years. It features articles, news releases, conferences, book reviews, and links of interest to CEOs, business leaders and students. The focus is – creative leadership, competitive strategy, leading change, and performance improvement.
The CEO Refresher viewers are business leaders, executives, managers and students. The subscribers and viewers are highly educated senior executives, professionals and managers keenly interested in creative leadership, strategy, leading change, performance improvement and personal effectiveness.
Hospitals Face Three Major Changes From Healthcare Reform
REIMBURSEMENT, COORDINATED CARE, INCREASED ACCOUNTABILITY
It’s difficult to predict the specifics of what health care reform will bring, but it is clear that it won’t be business as usual.
We believe that three things will be certain results of the current public debate.
First, reimbursement changes are going to increase the importance of managing the cost of delivering services. Hospitals will need to pursue operational efficiencies with a vigor that has not been widespread. Labor costs, work processes, duplication reduction, and reducing unnecessary utilization will be critical for preserving the bottom line.
READ the complete article “Hospitals Face Three Major Changes From Healthcare Reform,” via the Better Hospitals Blog.
Rita Gorley of Compass Clinical Consulting to Present On The Joint Commission Standards and Survey Practices at Kentucky Association for Healthcare Quality Annual Educational Conference
CINCINNATI – August 6, 2009 – Rita Gorley, RN, MSN, senior consultant for Compass Clinical Consulting (http://www.compass-clinical.com ), will present on The Joint Commission’s latest requirements at the Kentucky Association for Healthcare Quality (KAHQ) Annual Educational Conference. The event will take place in Louisville, KY, on August 7, 2009.
KEEPING UP WITH THE TIMES
This year’s KAHQ conference theme is “Keeping up with the times.” The annual educational conference helps Quality, Risk Management, Compliance, and Performance Improvement professionals keep up with the latest in research, trends and regulatory requirements.
JOINT COMMISSION UPDATES FOR 2009 AND 2010
Ms. Gorley will speak about the latest updates to The Joint Commission’s standards and survey practices. Key themes include top Requirements for Improvement (RFIs) in 2008, National Patient Safety Goals, and The Joint Commission’s reapplication for deeming status from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
ABOUT RITA GORLEY
Prior to joining Compass Clinical Consulting as a senior consultant, Ms. Gorley served as Director of Performance Improvement at Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center. Since then, she has served as an interim manager for accreditation and performance improvement in several organizations. Ms. Gorley also held the position of assistant dean in the Division of Nursing at Midway College in Kentucky.
Media Contact:
Steve Kayser
Tel.: 513.241.0142, Ext. 112;
Skayser@compassgroupinc.com
Twitter://www.twitter.com/compasscc
Two Trillion Dollars in Healthcare Reform is a Game Changer for Hospitals
Taking $2 Trillion out of the healthcare system in the next decade is going to force everyone to change how they do business – hospitals, doctors, pharma manufacturers and retailers, medical equipment manufacturers – everyone. Read “Two Trillion Dollars in Healthcare Reform is a Game Changer for Hospitals,” by Compass Clinical Consulting CEO Kate Fenner.
Systemic Barriers to Hospital Productivity
Hospitals are entering a period of worsening financial performance as more and more are suffering operating deficits – some facing serious downturns that could threaten viability. Before embarking on wrenching and disruptive layoffs, many hospitals would be well advised to take a good hard look at internal systems, policies and procedures that suck money quietly out of the hospital. Fix these and a relatively fast revival is likely.
One such area is to explore how automated time and attendance system is being managed.
Read the complete story “Systemic Barriers to Hospital Productivity,” via the Better Hospitals Blog.
Practical Advice for Surviving the Joint Commission and CMS Survey Process Educational Seminar
Cincinnati, Oh – April 2, 2009 - Nationally recognized speaker Ruth Elzer, Compass Clinical Consulting Group’s Practice Leader for Accreditation and Compliance Services, will present an advanced educational seminar entitled “Practical Advice for 2009: Surviving the Joint Commission and CMS”on May 4, 2009, at the Swedish Medical in Seattle, Washington,
Significant Changes – 87 New Requirements
The Joint Commission has 87 new and revised requirements for 2009. Although some standards contain minimal changes, others create new expectations and documentation requirements. Last-minute additions in January will require additional resources to address compliance.
Searching for Flaws
The new survey philosophy (“searching for flaws rather than searching for validation”) also makes it likely that there will be more adverse findings during survey.
Makes Compliance More Difficult
Because the standards leave much to interpretation, hospitals are vulnerable to misunderstanding during survey, making compliance more difficult.
Practical Solutions – Immediate Actions
The “Practical Advice for Surviving the Joint Commission and Survey Process” advanced educational seminar explains how to prepare for the survey process, focusing on the issues that hold the greatest risk for hospitals in 2009. It provides practical solutions for taking immediate action towards the best possible survey outcomes.
How to Survive the Joint Commission and CMS
Upon completion of the seminar, participants will be able to:
- Discuss the elements behind the tougher survey process for 2009.
- Discuss the impact that the January CMS-driven standard additions to the Joint Commission manual will have on organizational readiness.
- Identify three requirements that must be documented for the survey of the leadership standards by the Joint Commission.
- Differentiate between the standards and survey processes of The Joint Commission and CMS.
- Identify three areas of compliance that could lead to an RFI in their organization.
Related Links:
For more information review the complete description of “Practical Advice for Surviving the Joint Commission and CMS Survey Process”
Registration form for the “Practical Advice for Surviving the Joint Commission and CMS Survey Process” seminar.
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About
Compass Clinical Consulting ( Http://www.compass-clinical.com) is a division of Compass Group, Inc., a healthcare consultancy founded in 1979 and based in Cincinnati, OH. Compass Clinical healthcare consultants have helped hundreds of hospitals and health systems prepare for accreditation visits, optimize labor cost management, improve throughput, manage clinical resources, and improve physician relations. We also place interim healthcare executives, CNOs, CMOs, and clinical managers.
Contact:
Steve Kayser,
Media Relations
2181 Victory Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45206
Tel.: 513.241.0142, Ext. 112;
Mobile: 513.487.1951
Fax: 513.241.0498
Email: skayser@k-newmedia.com
Email:info@compassgroupinc.com
