hfm Magazine: March 2019
The March 2019 edition of hfm explores people and culture in healthcare finance, focusing on performance improvement, academic-community relationships, and care delivery.
How to Achieve a Return on an EHR
Electronic health records can be a useful population health management tool.
When Indirect EHR Communication Drives Up Medical Costs
Indirect communication among primary care team members using EHRs is associated with increased hospital visits and higher medical costs for their patients with diabetes, according to one study. Researchers found that medical costs rose by $223 per patient with diabetes in a six-month period for every increase in one percentage point in indirect communication.
Shared Birthdays Cause Patient Matching Errors
Patients who share similarly spelled names and the same birth dates are particularly susceptible to patient record mismatches.
Patient Matching in the Era of EHRs
It is not uncommon for clinicians to have incomplete or inaccurate pictures of patients’ medical histories and conditions because the record and the patient do not match. This exposes healthcare organizations to medical errors, increased costs, and negative patient experiences.
Emphasizing Opportunity in EHR Conversions
Christine Pearson, Julianne Dreon, and Matt Onesko explain that as EHR adoption progresses from the implementation phase to optimization, lessons learned contribute to results that may be better than anticipated.
Payer access to EHR data improves cash flow
Sharp Healthcare gives some payers limited access to their members’ EHR data, which reduces the time-consuming cycle of level-of-care authorization denials, appeals, and ultimate approvals.
Healthcare Transformational Landscape: Impact on Accounting From EHR Platforms and Other
The cost of implementing a new electronic health record system can be expensed or capitalized over the life of the implementation project.
Achieving an Aligned Physician Enterprise Through Cultural Transformation
By aligning with physicians and staff members, health system leaders can effect change in their organizations to meet consumer needs and wants.
May 6-11 Policy Watch: Hospital-Backed Data-Sharing Bill Gets Hearing
May 3—Legislation to allow more patient data sharing—long sought by hospitals—is expected to continue advancing in Congress next week.