ASHHRA eNews Pulse

ASHHRA

ASHHRA eNews Brief: October 2014
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Autumn, a wonderful time of beautiful colors and gathering in the harvest! In the agricultural areas of our nation, this is the time when we literally get to reap what we have sown. I was struck by this analogy as I traveled back home after the annual conference in Chicago. For those of us lucky enough to have attended, we had the opportunity to gather in new information, meet new colleagues and return to our organizations with a great many more resources in tow.

A highlight for me was to celebrate the 50th anniversary mark with many of the leaders who have helped us reach this milestone. There were 16 past board presidents attending with us, along with many past board members. We enjoyed a special evening celebrating and re-connecting. The next night was a great night at the ballroom at the end of Navy Pier. Chicago food, jazz and gaming tables inside this stunning venue made it an evening that will long be remembered (Fake money was used.). Special thanks goes out to MetLife, TIAA-CREF and IRI Consulting who made these wonderful evenings possible.

I also want to thank all the generous sponsors, exhibitors and advertisers who made this meeting extra special.  

If you missed the conference, make plans now to try to get to Orlando next year. These events are too important to be missed.  

All my best,

Maureen O’Keeffe, SPHR, CHHR
ASHHRA 2014 President
Vice President, Chief Human Resource Officer
St. Luke’s Health System
Boise, Idaho
 
Select International
ASHHRA NEWS
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, the hospital caring for the first diagnosed case of Ebola virus in the U.S., has shared lessons learned in order to help other hospitals and health care providers in their readiness efforts. "In response to questions raised about Mr. Duncan’s first visit to the hospital emergency department on the night of September 25th, we have thoroughly reviewed the chain of events," the report states. 

Visit http://www.ahanews.com/ahanews/jsp/display.jsp?dcrpath=AHANEWS/AHANewsNowArticle/data/ann_100314_Ebola&domain=AHANEWS to view the full article online.

 

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-VT), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, last week asked 14 drug makers to provide information for an investigation into surging generic drug prices for patients and health care providers.

Visit http://www.ahanews.com/ahanews/jsp/display.jsp?dcrpath=AHANEWS/AHANewsNowArticle/data/ann_100614_generics&domain=AHANEWS to view the full article online.

 

The AHA and eight other national organizations representing hospitals today urged the Drug Enforcement Administration to delay certain requirements effective Oct. 9 under its final rule for disposal of controlled substances. The rule was issued Sept. 9 with only a 30-day compliance period. 

Visit http://www.ahanews.com/ahanews/jsp/display.jsp?dcrpath=AHANEWS/AHANewsNowArticle/data/ann_100614_DEA&domain=AHANEWS to view the full article online.

 
AHA RESOURCES

The predictions that there would be a big nursing shortage due to the aging population in need of care compounded by the retirement of all those older Baby boomer nurses may have been premature. The nursing shortage may have been pushed off a bit by the fact that older nurses are delaying their retirement, according to the findings of this study of large-scale federal employment survey data.

SOURCE: AHA RESOURCE CENTER BLOG

Visit http://aharesourcecenter.wordpress.com/2014/10/03/workforce-trends-baby-boomer-rns-not-retiring/ to view the full article online.

 

Implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is intended to reduce the growth in hospital costs for Medicare patients directly, but this study analyzed the potential for associated decreases in costs due to the "spillover" effects related to lower utilization by non-elderly patients.  The analysis was based on data from 1995 to 2009.  Here is a nice brief summary of how Medicare reimbursement policy has affected costs over time.

SOURCE: AHA RESOURCE CENTER BLOG

Visit http://aharesourcecenter.wordpress.com/2014/10/01/forecast-slowdown-in-hospital-spending-growth-expected/ to view the full article online.

 

A new federal report examines the impact so far of health reform’s expanded health care coverage on uncompensated costs incurred by hospitals. With an estimated 8 million increase in the number of people covered by Medicaid and a 10.3 million decrease in the uninsured population, hospitals may lower their overall uncompensated costs by $5.7 billion (16%) this year.

SOURCE: AHA RESOURCE CENTER BLOG

Visit http://aharesourcecenter.wordpress.com/2014/09/26/impact-of-insurance-expansion-on-hospital-uncompensated-costs-in-2014/ to view the full article online.

 
Society for Human Resource Management
WORKFORCE

By Molly Gamble

Making an organization more collaborative shouldn't involve more meetings or a new open floor plan. It should involve new alliances, the right incentives and an eagerness to talk about mistakes. Lisa Bodell, founder and CEO of futurethink, an innovation research and training firm, identified 11 guidelines that can help senior leaders create more collaborative organizations in a post for strategy+business, the company blog for Strategy&. 

SOURCE: BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW

Visit http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/leadership-management/11-steps-to-a-more-collaborative-health-system.html to view the full article online.

 
HealthStream
COMPENSATION

By Sally LaFond and John Collins

Hospital and health system executives have always dealt with change. But today's executives are responsible for leading their organizations through unprecedented transformational change that will fundamentally alter the way health care is delivered. 

SOURCE: BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW

Visit http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/compensation-issues/the-growing-influence-of-for-profit-pay-practices-on-not-for-profit-executive-pay.html to view the full article online.

 

Over a quarter (27%) of all employers are planning to hire minimum wage workers in 2014; over half of retailers (51%) and leisure and hospitality firms (58%) plan to hire minimum wage workers as well. With many observers asking whether the minimum wage should be raised, the question remains: what do employers think about it?

SOURCE: WORLD AT WORK

Visit http://www.worldatwork.org/adimComment?id=75995&from=Compensation%20News%20All to view the full article online.

 
GENERAL HR

By AJ Williams


The American Society of Employers (ASE) has selected Barbara A. Palmer, Botsford Health Care corporate vice president of Human Resources and Employee Services, as an ASE Michigan Human Resource Executive of the Year for Health and Human Services organization with more than 500 employees. 

SOURCE: MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

Visit http://michronicleonline.com/2014/10/02/botsford-health-care-hr-leader-named-an-ase-executive-of-the-year to view the full article online.

 

By Paul Barr

Hospital and health system chief financial officers are in for a slew of new and changed responsibilities as a result of the health care industry’s evolving care and reimbursement model.

SOURCE: HOSPITALS & HEALTH NETWORKS

Visit http://www.hhnmag.com/display/HHN-news-article.dhtml?dcrPath=/templatedata/HF_Common/NewsArticle/data/HHN/Magazine/2014/Sep/cov-hospital-finances-CFOs to view the full article online.

 
YourMembership.com
PHYSICIANS

By Zack Budryk

Several practical solutions could offset the primary care shortage, according to a new report from the UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform & Modernization.

SOURCE: FIERCE HEALTHCARE

Visit http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/4-ways-improve-primary-care-delivery/2014-10-02 to view the full article online.

 

By Thomas Dahlborg

Patient-centered care, patient engagement, patient activation--all terms many of us health care leaders use to describe a key output of improving the health care system.

SOURCE: HOSPITAL IMPACT

Visit http://www.hospitalimpact.org/index.php/2014/10/02/p4866#more4866’ to view the full article online.

 

By Paul Keckley

Transparency about a physician's clinical performance and business relationships is increasingly accurate and widely accessible. For hospitals and physicians, it's an uncomfortable spotlight that's growing brighter. Why, all of a sudden, are we being inundated with an avalanche of data about what doctors do and how much they're paid?

SOURCE: HOSPITALS & HEALTH NETWORKS

Visit http://www.hhnmag.com/display/HHN-news-article.dhtml?dcrPath=/templatedata/HF_Common/NewsArticle/data/HHN/Daily/2014/Oct/More-demand-data-physicians-Paul-Keckley-article to view the full article online.

 

By John Commins

Physicians Foundation data shows that 44% of physicians surveyed said they would reduce the number of patients they see to alleviate the demands of the profession.

SOURCE: HEALTH LEADERS MEDIA

Visit http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/LED-308970/8-in-10-Doctors-Overextended-or-at-Full-Capacity to view the full article online.

 
HOSPITAL NEWS

By Cheryl Spenser

This year I'm working with an exceptional team in Fort Worth, Texas, to open a surgical hospital that is focused on creating a first-class experience for our patients and surgeons. As we progress through what can be an intense year of decisions, meetings and preparation, I try to encourage my leadership team to circle back to five key steps, which I believe will help us reach our end goal of providing an exceptional surgical hospital for our community.

SOURCE: BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW

Visit http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/leadership-management/5-keys-to-success-when-opening-a-new-hospital.html to view the full article online.

 

There hasn't been a single confirmed case of someone being infected with Ebola on U.S. soil — the one confirmed case here involves a man who contracted the virus overseas. But health care providers are worried enough that they are taking a wide variety of precautions.

SOURCE: THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Visit http://online.wsj.com/article/APf5287413a3034c45ae1e2815bb58526f.html?KEYWORDS=hospital+new to view the full article online.

 
MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP

By Susan Kelly

Health care systems have used value analysis for years but the practice is gaining renewed attention as reimbursement pressures continue rising. And as the word spreads that some hospitals have savings in the millions, many will take a second look. One thing is clear. A fair value assessment can't be done within the finance department. It requires contributions from the hospital's clinical staff and its supply chain organization.

SOURCE: HEALTHCARE FINANCE NEWS

Visit http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/value-analysis-looks-beyond-cost to view the full article online.

 

Co-workers have a big impact on the experience of working for a company. According to a report from Globoforce, peer relationships are critical to job happiness, commitment and creating more memorable milestone experiences.

SOURCE: WORLD AT WORK

Visit http://www.worldatwork.org/adimComment?id=76018&from=Work-Life%20News%20All to view the full article online.

 

By Katie Sullivan

In an effort to be more efficient, deliver value-based care and streamline the health care continuum, hospitals enter into partnerships out of want rather than financial necessity to stay ahead of competitors in the ever-evolving health care industry, according to a piece in Hospitals & Health Networks.

SOURCE: FIERCE HEALTHCARE

Visit http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/4-mistakes-hospitals-make-search-partnerships/2014-10-01 to view the full article online.

 

By Anthony Brino

With 25 million Americans set to be insured through exchange plans over the next decade, some health systems are finding a competitive advantage in branding their own health networks, improving on the concept that entered the market with the name "narrow networks."


SOURCE: HEALTHCARE FINANCE NEWS 

Visit http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/hospitals-are-finding-competitive-advantage-branded-networks to view the full article online.

 
HealthcareSource
Halogen Software Inc
Cielo Healthcare
Healthcare Financial Management Association
American Academy of Neurology
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