Clinical Management Series
Working Together to Rebuild Orthopedics: A Joint Effort, Jan Greene, January 2007, 65
Compromise is key if hospitals and surgeons want to strengthen a traditionally profitable service line
Home Care Heats Up: Will Payment Issues Spoil the Boom? Jodie Snyder, July 2007, 56
New monitoring devices promise to greatly enhance care and control costs, but reimbursement isn’t keeping pace
Medication Management, Amy Buttell Crane, October 2007, 57
Efforts to improve how prescriptions get from clinician to pharmacy to patient
Columns: Business Matters
High-Class Problems, Alden Solovy, January 2007, 34
Putting work into perspective helps to keep life balanced
Free Patient Safety Report, Alden Solovy, February 2007, 30
Well, OK, nothing’s really free … but the price is right
Notes From the Trail [Part 1], Alden Solovy, March 2007, 32
In this series, our executive editor relates management lessons learned on Mount Rainier
Notes From the Trail [Part 2], Alden Solovy, April 2007, 30
Reflections on the difference between the speed of action and the pace of change
Notes From the Trail [Part 3], Alden Solovy, May 2007, 32
Busted tent poles are no match for emergency duct tape and a sturdy rain fly
Notes From the Trail [Part 4], Alden Solovy, June 2007, 36
When words of encouragement are needed most, they could be closer than you think
Notes From the Trail [Part 5], Alden Solovy, July 2007, 36
Attempting to summit Rainier after 12 days on the trail is a trek of health, mind and spirit
Notes From the Trail [Part 6, Fini], Alden Solovy, August 2007, 34
Honesty is a key ingredient of bravery
Signposts, Alden Solovy, September 2007, 34
The AHA Environmental Assessment identifies today’s—and tomorrow’s—health care trends
Creating Health, Alden Solovy, October 2007, 26
The history of health care enters a new era
Adventures in Business Travel, Alden Solovy, November 2007, 30
When the squeeze is on, all you can do is bear it—and grin
Choices, Alden Solovy, December 2007, 28
For both those who need and deliver health care, questions are momentous
Columns: Editor’s Notes
On Turning 80! Mary Grayson, January 2007, 6
H&HN turns 80, enjoy the celebration
Not Now, Mary Grayson, June 2007, 6
At dusk, Death passed by my door. Then, turned and knocked.
Do You Believe? Mary Grayson, July 2007, 6
Wise men say that behind every successful CEO is a successful board, but, psst, do be believe?
Know Better?, Mary Grayson, August 2007, 6
We get a big kick out of the lapses in ethics of big business, but do we learn anything?
The View From the Middle, Mary Grayson, September 2007, 6
Some things about CEO leadership and patient safety that you May 2007 not see on the PowerPoints
Call a Spade a Spade? Mary Grayson, October 2007, 6
Then again, who knows—it might be a rose is a rose by any other name…
Conspiracy Theories, Anyone? Mary Grayson, November 2007, 6
Single events in isolation often don’t seem very important. Tie them together and, well, you have …
Trouble Comes to Snow Village, Mary Grayson, December 2007, 4
Every four years or so, villagers can’t believe what they overhear
Columns: OutBox
A New Lineup in Washington, Rick Pollack, January 2007, 84
Hospitals face challenges that have little to do with who is running the government
Responding to the Call, John R. Combes, M.D., February 2007, 80
Helping trustees increase performance and accountability
Partners in Public Health, Ron Anderson, M.D., March 2007, 88
Six questions hospitals should consider to help rebuild America’s public health system
A Call for Coverage, Rick Pollack, April 2007, 90
Diverse groups put aside difference and push a two-pronged plan to help the uninsured
Changing Roles for Consumers, Kevin E. Lofton, May 2007, 94
The implications from hospitals and health systems when your patients become more proactive
MEMO re: 2007 Leadership Summit, Ian Morrison, June 2007, 90
Outline of upcoming meeting
Measuring What Matters Most, Janet M. Corrigan, July 2007, 166
Current programs represent and excellent way to jump-start performance reporting, but …
The Quest for Quality, Jeffrey D. Selberg, August 2007, 70
All honorees share common characteristics and strategies in meeting quality aims
“What’s Past is Prologue … ,” Kevin E. Lofton, September 2007, 102
We must succeed where other generations have failed and bring true change to our vast and complex system
You Decide, Rick Pollack, October 2007, 80
“The most important political office is that of private citizen.”—Louis D. Brandeis
Evidence-Based Management, Thomas G. Rundall, November 2007, 72
It seems obvious that decision-making should be based on sound research and facts, but it’s not
Maintaining Quality of Life, Deborah Bohr, December 2007, 76
Learn from your peers how to implement a palliative care program in your community
Community Health/Wellness/Outreach
A Mission to Listen, Bill Santamour, April 2007, 34
AHA initiative provides a framework for hospitals to connect with their communities
2006 Foster G. McGaw Prize, Terese Hudson Thrall, April 2007, 67
Winner: Memorial Healthcare System, Hollywood, Fla.
The 2007 NOVA Awards, Gina Rollins, July 2007, 60
Winners: UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, Mass.; Heartland Health, St. Joseph, Mo.; Palmetto Health, Columbia, S.C.; Spectrum Health, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Boston Medical Center, Boston; and Legacy Health System, Portland, Ore.
Diagnostic Imaging
Space Jam, Alan Joch, February 2007, 40
Are digital imaging systems straining your storage resources?
E-Health/Technology
The Case for E-Prescribing, Dagmara Scalise, February 2007, after 44
E-prescribing systems can provide significant benefits
Telemedicine’s Adolescent Angst, Brian Vastag, June 2007, 66
Growing pains are evident, the “wows” relatively rare, but home-based care is ready to explode
Ten Lesson from the Top 100, Alden Solovy, Suzanna Hoppszallern and Sarah B. Brown, July 2007, 40
One thing is certain: Technology is part of the process of improving care
Facilities
Still Booming, Dave Carpenter and Suzanna Hoppszallern, March 2007, 44
Survey suggest that the construction boom is still going strong, but rising costs pose red flags
Leaps and Bounds, Charlotte Huff, October 2007, 36
A nationwide building boom among children’s hospitals is dramatically changing the pediatric landscape
Finances/Census
Financing Change: Designing Future Deliver Systems, various authors, May 2007, after 62
- Visions of Health Care’s Future: Bigger, more patient-focused systems?, Dave Carpenter
- Payment System Changes Encourage Cost Management, Not Delivery Innovation, Richard L. Clarke
- How Technology Will Reshape Clinical Care, Molly Joel Coye, M.D.
- Hospital Relationships with Physicians, Paul B. Ginsburg
- Future Delivery System Design: Will Capital be a Driving Force?, Frederick A. Hessler
- Working Together to Reform Health Care, Karen Ignagni
- Improved Outcomes and Margins Trrough System Optimization, Stephen R. May 2007field
- A Framework to Improve America’s Health, Richard J. Umbdenstock
The New Era CFO, Amy Buttell Crane, June 2007, 38
In today’s hospital, just focusing on finance doesn’t cut it
The Board’s Role in Capital Financing, Lee Ann Runy, June 2007, after 42
As complexity grows in health care, board responsibilities becomes more challenging
Financial Imperative: Physician Relations, Matthew Weinstock, June 2007, 51
Leading health systems outline challenges, strategies at annual investors’ conference
Insurance/Reimbursement
Can Big Business Save Health Care? Philip Dunn, January 2007, 38
Corporate America wants value for its insurance buck. And now it’s doing more than just asking.
SCHIP: Does it have legs?, Terese Hudson Thrall, March 2007, 57
The federal-state program is caught between those who want to expand its scope and those who want to limit it
Taking the Offensive Against Claims Denials, Amy Buttell Crane, May 2007, 46
Alert staff and the right technology can ensure that hospitals get the payments they deserve
Medicaid is the New Medicare, Mark Taylor, June 2007, 54
Get-tough fraud investigators say they’ll train their eyes on providers of all types and sizes
State’s Evidence, Howard Larkin, September 2007, 48
Four big questions loom over ambitious state efforts to expand coverage
“Never” Land, Dave Carpenter, November 2007, 34
Medicare declares “no pay for preventable errors”; private insurers sure to follow
The Undercovered Class, Matthew Weinstock, December 2007, 32
For millions of Americans—and their providers—today’s insurance is no guarantee against big debt
Leadership
Louisiana’s Second Chance, Howard Larkin, February 2007, 54
Hurricane Katrina washed away New Orleans’ safety net, but it also created opportunity to replace the antiquated health care system
Population Puzzle, set of strategic planning stories
- Suburban Sprawling, Eric Apalategui and Matthew Weinstock, May 2007, 36
When a community suddenly swells, the local hospital must figure out how, whether to keep pace - Urban Crawling, Chris Serb, May 2007, 42
City hospitals adapt to new and varied realities
Legal/Regulations
Stark Redo, Chris Serb, February 2007, 35
Hospitals hesitate to help digitize doctors’ offices until the “relaxed” rules are further clarified
Management/Governance
Building a Better Board—and Learning to Like It, Terese Hudson Thrall, January 2007, 61
In today’s complex and scrutinized health care environment, trustees must bring expertise and independence
Management Engineers, Amy Buttell Crane, April 2007, 50
A scientific approach to pinpoint a hospital’s problems and find common-sense solutions
Attributes of a High-Performing Culture, Lee Ann Runy, April 2007, after 58
Tips, first steps in becoming a high-performing hospital
Ice Breakers, Terese Hudson Thrall, September 2007, 56
The relationship between nursing and finance executives is often frosty. Promoting a thaw is in everybody’s best interest.
Honesty in Leadership, Mary Grayson, October 2007, 30
Interview with AHA chair-elect Thomas Priselac
Marketing
How “Wowed” Are Your Patients? Charlotte Huff, November 2007, 53
Consumer loyalty—not satisfaction—is what hospitals really need to measure, some experts insist
Palliative/End-of-Life Care
2007 Circle of Life Awards, Jan Greene, August 2007, 55
Winners: University of California, San Francisco Palliative Care Program, San Francisco; Woodwell Program, Oakmont, Pa.; Covenant Hospice, Pensacola, Fla.
Patient Care
Pain Management, Lee Ann Runy, November 2007, after 44
Six years after Joint Commission standard required hospitals to establish pain management policies and patient assessment, there’s still much work to be done
Patient Safety/Medical Errors
Patient Safety in the Operating Room, Lee Ann Runy, March 2007, after 48
The right culture can result in the right outcomes and help avoid costly litigation
Save Lives Now, Philip Dunn, April 2007, 42
Five ways to improve patient safety in the ED
Creating a Culture of Patient Safety, Lee Ann Runy, May 2007, after 50
Five-step process to strengthen safety efforts, a checklist for CEOs and a case study
Is That Product Safe? Lee Ann Runy, August 2007, after 46
How to guarantee the integrity of medical supplies and tell staff about recalls
Can Your Nurses Stop a Surgeon? Matthew Weinstock, September 2007, 38
Advocate Health Care leaders create culture of safety that permeates organization
Final Five: ASCs Told to Target Patient Safety, Gina Rollins, December 2007, 53
CMS will likely require ambulatory surgery centers to report on quality of care measure starting in 2009
Pharmaceuticals/Pharmacists
Pressure Points: What’s Stressing Your Pharmacy, Eric Apalategui, May 2007, 59
Med safety is most visible. Staff shortages mean higher wages, if you can find anybody to hire. And then there’s the drug crunch.
Predictions/Trends
Catching the Proton Wave, Charlotte Huff, March 2007, 62
Hospitals weigh the promise of a breakthrough cancer treatment against the enormous costs
Practical Genomics, Haydn Bush, August 2007, 36
Out of the lab, into practice
2008 AHA Environmental Assessment, Gene O’Dell, September 2007, 65
Insight and information about trends and issues that May 2007 affect the health care field
Sleep Centers Rise and Shine, Susan Kreimer, October 2007, 44
With smart planning, hospitals tap into public’s demand for more shut-eye
Medical Tourism Takes Flight, Philip Dunn, November 2007, 40
With high-quality, low-cost care, overseas hospitals hope to turn a tricke of U.S. patients into a trend
Florida Forecast: Partly Cloudy, Haydn Bush, December 2007, 40
For providers in the Sunshine State, the continuing population boom is both a boon and a bane
Quality & Performance Improvement
Inside the Premier/CMS Pay-for-Performance Project, H&HN staff, March 2007, 36
Exclusive roundtable: Insights from the five top hospitals
Seven Tactics for Hardwiring Quality Cost Savings into Hospital Operations, John Byrnes, M.D., July 2007, 34
2007 Quest for Quality Prize, Lee Ann Runy, September 2007, 78
Winner: Columbus (Ind.) Regional Hospital. Finalists: Integris Baptist Medical Center, Oklahoma City; and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles. Citations of Merit: Amarillo (Texas) VA Health Care System; and McLeod Regional Medical Center, Florence, S.C.
Performance Improvement, Lee Ann Runy, October 2007, after 48
Which path is right for your hospital: Toyota Production System/Lean Management, ISO 9000, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award or Six Sigma?
Rural Health Care
Rural Recruitment, Terese Hudson Thrall, December 2007, after 44
Foldout details scope of clinician shortage in rural America, how they compete with urban providers for scarce staff
Section: Data Page
Number of Hospitals Grows, Beds Decline, Lee Ann Runy, January 2007, 75
Data from Hospital Statistics 2007 edition
Good MD Relations = Good Admissions, Lee Ann Runy, February 2007, 66
Data from PRC 2006 Employee Perception Study
Budget Fights Loom for Research Agencies, Matthew Weinstock, March 2007, 72
Data from AHRQ, CDC, HHS and NIH
As Health Costs Climb, Employers Retrench, Lee Ann Runy, April 2007, 76
Data from SHSMD’s Futurescan, 2007
Health Care in Retirement, Matthew Weinstock, May 2007, 82
Data from Fidelity Investment and Center for Retirement at Boston College
Nurses: Satisfaction Not Guaranteed, Lee Ann Runy, June 2007, 76
Data from Health Resources and Services Administration and Press Ganey Associates
Funding Infrastructure, Dave Carpenter and Suzanna Hoppszallern, July 2007, 154
Data from Health Facilities Management/American Society for Healthcare Engineering 2007 Hospital Infrastructure Survey
The Older You Get, the More Health Care You Need, Matthew Weinstock, August 2007, 59
Data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Supply Chain IT Getting Executive Attention, Dave Carpenter and Suzanna Hoppszallern, October 2007, 72
Data from MMHC/AHRMM survey
SCHIP Still Hotly Debated in Congress, Lee Ann Runy, November 2007, 63
Data from Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
Patient Safety Efforts Help Keep Lid on Lawsuits, Lee Ann Runy, December 2007, 62
Data from Aon’s 2007 Hospital Professional Liability and Physician Liability Benchmark Analysis
Section: Perspectives
CIOs Input Key to Creating Seamless Infrastructures, Brian Vastag, February 2007, 16
Six-part look at impact and promise of clinical information technology
Efficiency, Speed and Patient Safety Drive Fast-Paced Evolution of Medical Equipment, April 2007, 14
Six-part look at impact and promise of clinical information technology
Banks Aim to Play a Bigger Role in Hospital Investment Strategies, June 2007, 16
Six-part look at impact and promise of clinical information technology
Section: Practical Ethics
Lost: Patients’ Personal Info, Dagmara Scalise, January 2007, 24
Opinions from Richard Palmisano II, R.N., MS, and Jonathan Davis
You Choose: IT or Outreach, Terese Hudson Thrall, February 2007, 25
Opinions from Bill Vanaskie and Gary Hagens, D.M.D.
Time to Tell Surgeon to Retire? Lee Ann Runy, March 2007, 24
Opinions from Jim Anderson and Mary Ann Bell
Can You Avoid a Quid Pro Quo?, Terese Hudson Thrall, April 2007, 22
Opinions from Reg Wagle and Elaine Hugunin
Time to Drop a Low-Pay Insurer?, Terese Hudson Thrall, May 2007, 27
Opinions from Teri Fontenot and Reezie DeVet
A Fresh Start? Terese Hudson Thrall, June 2007, 24
Opinions from Isaac Palmer and Daniel Neuflder
Cut Benefits or Cut Workers? Matthew Weinstock, July 2007, 24
Opinions from Paul K. Whelton, M.D., and Randy Phelps
Time to Start Blogging? Haydn Bush, September 2007, 24
Opinions from Mel Pyne and Nancy Schlichting
Newly Wed or Newly Shed? Terese Hudson Thrall, October 2007, 20
Opinions from Susan Davis, R.N., and Susan Croushore
Fast Food or Fast Exit? Matthew Weinstock, November 2007, 20
Opinions from Todd Nelson and Randall L. O’Donnell
Will YouTube Video Make Him Pay? Terese Hudson Thrall, December 2007, 20
Opinions from Steven Scott and Chris Hunt
Section: Staffing Watch
Staffing Watch, Terese Hudson Thrall, January 2007, 30
Roundup of staffing problems and solutions
Staffing Watch, Terese Hudson Thrall, February 2007, 26
Roundup of staffing problems and solutions
Staffing Watch, Terese Hudson Thrall, March 2007, 28
Roundup of staffing problems and solutions
Staffing Watch, Terese Hudson Thrall, April 2007, 28
Roundup of staffing problems and solutions
Staffing Watch, Terese Hudson Thrall, May 2007, 28
Roundup of staffing problems and solutions
Staffing Watch, Terese Hudson Thrall, June 2007, 30
Roundup of staffing problems and solutions
Staffing Watch, Terese Hudson Thrall, July 2007, 32
Roundup of staffing problems and solutions
Staffing Watch, Terese Hudson Thrall, August 2007, 32
Roundup of staffing problems and solutions
Staffing Watch, Terese Hudson Thrall, September 2007, 30
Roundup of staffing problems and solutions
Staffing Watch, Terese Hudson Thrall, October 2007, 25
Roundup of staffing problems and solutions
Staffing Watch, Terese Hudson Thrall, November 2007, 26
Roundup of staffing problems and solutions
Staffing Watch, Terese Hudson Thrall, December 2007, 26
Roundup of staffing problems and solutions
Section: Storyboard
Quality Paperwork is Never Done, Dagmara Scalise, January 2007, 26
Data from Premier Inc. and H&HN research
Government Gumbo: Cooking Up an EHR Network, Matthew Weinstock, February 2007, 20
Data from U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, National Alliance for Health Information Technology and the American Hospital Association
Health Care for All: Universal Coverage Proposals, Matthew Weinstock, March 2007, 20
States with pending legislation on universal coverage
Legislatures Turn Up Heat on Hospital-Acquired Infections, Matthew Weinstock, April 2007, 24
States with pending and passed legislation concerning HAIs
Tornado’s Wrath, Heroic Response, Matthew Weinstock, May 2007, 24
What happens when the hospital is the center of a disaster?
Big Questions Loom for Big Health Care Deal, Haydn Bush, June 2007, 28
A look at big health care mergers
Surgery with a Guaranteed Price, Haydn Bush, July 2007, 30
Program testing flat-fee for services, treatment of complications
Debate on When to Commit Mental Health Patients, Haydn Bush, August 2007, 28
When do you involuntarily commit mentally ill patients?
How One Hospital is Cutting Serious Safety Events, Lee Ann Runy, September 2007, 27
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center created a team to eliminate serious safety events by 2010
Confusion Still Reigns Over NPI, Matthew Weinstock, October 2007, 22
FAQs on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid service’s National Provider Identifier
Why the UAW-GM Deal Matters to You, H&HN Staff, November 2007, 22
The facts and fallout of the UAW-GM deal to provide health care benefits for retired unionized employees
How One Hospital Slashed ED Waits, Matthew Weinstock, December 2007, 22
Meadows Regional Medical Center, Vidalia, Ga., cut ED length of stay 43 percent
Workforce Issues
Superworker: Admitting Staff with the Right Stuff, Howard Larkin, January 2007, 48
As high-deductible plans, uninsured surge, “patient access specialists” head off headaches
Filling the Gaps, Lee Ann Runy, January 2007, after 52
Physician assistants and nurse practitioners see expanded roles and responsibilities
Shock Absorbers, Terese Hudson Thrall, June 2007, 60
Hospital residency programs smooth the bumps for new nurses
On Call? No thanks., Charlotte Huff, August 2007, 42
Specialty physicians cite any number of reasons to refuse ED assignments, hospitals search for ways to fill the void
A “Model” HAS, Dave Carpenter, September 2007, 62
Alegent Health Care’s consumer-driven plan rewards its staff for health behaviors and cut costs
