Client News Coverage

Outsourcing is far from a foreign concept to health information management (HIM) leaders who have long relied on vendor organizations to reduce costs associated with transcription, coding and release of information (ROI). Today, forward-thinking HIM directors are looking toward outsourcing to help maintain the integrity of their master patient index (MPI) systems by significantly reducing or even eliminating duplicate and overlay task backlogs.

As the delivery of healthcare transforms from disease-based episodic care to patient and population health-centric models of wellness care, nurses are facing new pressures and priorities to deliver high quality, safer and more consistent care both at bedside and in the community. That’s based on a recent survey by Wolters Kluwer, Health in which nearly all nurse respondents indicated that more access to information that drives evidence-based decisions at the point of care would result in a significant improvement in patient outcomes.

Unsustainable healthcare costs are driving seismic changes to the way payers do business. All healthcare stakeholders face significant pressure within the framework of value-based care to cut costs while simultaneously improving clinical outcomes and populations health. Consequently, forward-looking operational and clinical leaders recognize that they must invest in innovative approaches and technology such as automation, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) to stay relevant and competitive in a dynamic marketplace.

Sepsis affects 1.5 million people in the U.S. annually, and it is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, attributing over $20 billion in annual hospital fees. As hospitals and health systems focus on this deadly and preventable condition during Sepsis Awareness Month, it’s important to reflect on the state of the industry and how the nation is performing following increased regulatory attention in recent years.

Artificial intelligence (AI) success stories are beginning to flood the health care industry as stakeholders attempt to accelerate labor-intensive processes and realize the promise of advanced technology. Data are central to these initiatives, yet health care organizations are all too familiar with the challenges associated with getting maximum value from the rapidly expanding repositories of information now housed in EHRs and other clinical systems.

For The Record»

Sepsis is one of the leading causes of hospital mortality, present in more than half of the hospital deaths in the U.S. It is also one of the costliest diagnoses in the U.S. with a healthcare spend of over $20 billion dollars annually (Rhee, et al., 2017).

Sepsis affects over 1.5 million people annually in the U.S. and is the leading cause of hospital mortality and critical illness worldwide(1).  Sepsis is not a new diagnosis. It’s one we have been battling for years. Although guidelines for managing sepsis have changed over time as new research has become available, one thing that has not changed is the knowledge that early recognition of sepsis is critical and improves patient outcomes.

Elite Healthcare»

Artificial intelligence (AI) success stories are beginning to flood the healthcare industry as stakeholders attempt to accelerate labor-intensive processes and realize the promise of advanced technology. Data are central to these initiatives, yet healthcare organizations are all too familiar with the challenges associate with getting maximum value from the rapidly expanding repositories of information now housed in EHRs and other clinical systems.

Mandate clear interoperability requirements and a simple format that all healthcare technology vendors could use to securely exchange patient information among authorized providers of care. Every healthcare organization we have worked with has to operate with a mind-boggling array of differing systems, formats, data types, and so forth. This is the byproduct of a highly siloed, specialized industry with conflicting interests and makes access to the full spectrum of needed patient information at the point of care difficult to impossible.

Duplicate records remain one of healthcare’s most vexing—and costly—problems. Consider that the average master patient index (MPI) system has a duplicate rate of between 8 percent and 12 percent—the equivalent of 80,000 to 120,000 duplicate records for a hospital system serving 1 million patients. Each pair of duplicate records costs the facility approximately $96 to resolve. (Some say the average rate is even higher, with Black Book Market Research putting it at 18 percent in its 2018 Mid-Year EHR Consumer Satisfaction Report.)

Journal of AHIMA» 

Healthcare’s shift from an episodic to a wellness model of care finally places patients where they should be—at the center of care. As current movements aim to elevate the patient experience, nurses play an important role as the front-line professionals who engage with patients most often.

Healthcare NOW Radio»

The buzz around social determinants of health (SDoH) is making waves across the healthcare industry. Linked to roughly 80 percent of overall health, stakeholders are increasingly embracing the opportunity of addressing SDoH in care management workflows.

SDoH are defined by Healthy People 2020 as the “conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.” Essentially, these elements encompass the non-clinical factors that can promote or hinder a patient’s ability to fully comply with care plans.

Electronic Health Reporter»

Nurses are the largest and most trusted group of healthcare professionals in the world today. Individually and collectively, they play a greater role in care delivery than ever before. As this group of professionals support and care for people during some of the most significant moments in their lives, nurses constantly endeavor to bridge the gap between science and art to positively impact patient outcomes.

Healthcare Business News»

Medical students increased their investment in information and educational resources by 14% in 2018, with approximately 60% of those dollars going toward board review and preparatory support, according to a survey of American Medical Student Association (AMSA) members. The survey, conducted in coordination with Wolters Kluwer, Health, also found that more than half of medical students rank online question banks such as those in the company’s AI-powered Firecracker® solution among their top three tools for course study. 

Market Watch»

VirtualHealth has boosted its venture funding to more than $25 million on the strength of technology that helps health systems and health plans better manage their populations and prevent illness.

Wall Street Journal»