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Cover Story
Reducing Pharmacy Costs Through Improved Utilization
By Cinda Bates and Barton S. Richards
Trinity Regional Health System leveraged data from benchmarking analyses to save $1.9 million in 2012, or 14 percent of its pharmacy budget.
Web Extra
How Trinity Regional Worked with Suppliers to Reduce Pharmacy Costs
Trinity Regional Health System successfully managed contractual obligations at the systemwide level to achieve significant pharmacy cost savings.
Feature
Surgery Cost Control: Battling the Myth of the “Midas Touch”
By Richard Buchler
Hospitals can improve their financial performance in high-revenue surgical service lines by detecting and addressing supply cost problems.
Efficiencies of Scale
Cost Benefits of a Centralized, In-House Clinical Engineering Program
By Karen Wagner
Catholic Health Initiatives took control of its clinical engineering costs by forming a systemwide department, saving $18 million in FY12.
Web Extra
How CHI Uses Benchmarks to Reduce Clinical Engineering Costs
Catholic Health Initiatives uses benchmarks to gauge the performance of its clinical engineering program, following through with monthly stewardship reports that document savings by technician.
Reducing Labor Expenses
Temporary Nurse Staffing: Taking a Closer Look
By Karen Wagner
By reassessing their approach to temporary nurse staffing, hospitals can gain flexibility and reduce costs.
Improving Value
Meeting the Challenge: Reducing Inappropriate Clinical Practice Variation
By Scott J. Cullen and Matthew J. Lambert III
Geographic variations in cost of care represent an enormous opportunity for reducing the overall cost of care; healthcare leaders need to think and act strategically about how to meet new quality and cost imperatives.
From the Headlines
Study Shows Healthcare Costs Higher for Physicians with Less Experience
A study of insurance claims for Massachusetts has found that less experienced physicians have higher overall costs of treatment than more experienced physicians.