In late September 2019, DCH Health Systems stopped accepting new patients and had to revert to manual mode — using paper copies of records and notes — to treat existing patients. The hospital system became infected with ransomware, a malicious type of software that blocks access to a computer system or data until a ransom is paid, after an employee opened an email with an infected attachment.
With an ever-growing demand for physicians, a quickly aging population and a dwindling number of practicing physicians, there’s no denying the physician shortage is looming. In fact, projections from the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) predict a shortfall of 46,900 to 121,900 primary and specialty care physicians by 2032.
Hospitals in the United States are failing to meet the minimum surgical safety standards for certain high-risk procedures.
In fact, the majority of hospitals in the U.S. fail to meet hospital or surgeon volume standards, deeming them unsafe. This is according to a study from nonprofit organization Leapfrog, a watchdog group for healthcare purchasers.
The report analyzed data from a 2018 survey of more than 1,300 hospitals. Under the guidance of the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality at Johns Hopkins Medicine, experts at Leapfrog made these discoveries:
Topics: Hospital Administration
Many cerebrovascular neurosurgeons use a Doppler flow probe to measure flow velocity during a procedure. However, a Transit-time ultrasound micro-flowprobe provides more objective volume flow measurements during cerebrovascular surgical procedures.
Medical specialists are in increasing demand, as evidenced by the latest data tracking physician recruitment and salary trends from Merritt Hawkins. The data show that hospitals, health systems and other medical groups are seeking more physician specialists and fewer primary care physicians.
Evolving healthcare technology offers plenty of advantages for healthcare professionals and enhances the quality of care they provide. But there’s a dark side to implementing advanced tech in hospitals and private practices.
Cybercrime is on the rise, and all the information we collect and store makes the healthcare industry a prime target for data-hungry hackers. In fact, 34 percent of the ransomware attacks in 2017 impacted healthcare organizations, according to a report by Cylance.
Luckily, there are a few ways you can help strengthen your defense. Here’s what you need to know about healthcare cybersecurity.
As a physician, jetting off on lengthy trips abroad to immerse yourself in new cultures can seem a far-fetched dream — something only available to those with careers that allow them to work remotely. After all, in this occupation, taking extended vacations can be tricky.
Although it was developed to increase transparency and facilitate communications, some healthcare professionals worry the Sunshine Act is negatively impacting their reputation with patients.The Sunshine Act requires drug, medical device and biologics manufacturers participating in federally funded healthcare programs to report to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) any compensation given to physicians, teaching hospitals or group purchasing organizations.
Data recordings of these transactions began in August 2013 and since then, physicians and teaching hospitals have worried this information could undermine patient trust and threaten the doctor-patient relationship.
If you’re feeling burned out by the arduous, time-consuming requirements set forth by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) governing physician payments, you’ll be happy to know the agency has made several changes to simplify and improve the Quality Payment Program (QPP) process.After considering extensive feedback from the medical community, CMS released its final rule for its Medicare Quality Payment Program in 2019, under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA).
You can read the full CY 2019 Quality Payment Program final rule text here, but we’ve broken down five key MACRA 2019 changes physicians need to know:
