May/June 2013 HTO Issue

Open Data Drives Transparency

On May 8, 2013, Health and Human Services released a list of what all hospitals in the United States charged for the 100 most common inpatient services in 2011. Historically, this “chargemaster” data was shrouded in secrecy by healthcare institutions. Exposing this information finally provides the public with a glimpse of just how inconsistent (and seemingly irrational) hospital charges are.

Feature Story

Fighting For Provider Revenue
Healthcare reform, reimbursement cuts, sequestration, and RAC and Meaningful Use audits are new financial challenges cutting into provider revenue. How can you cope?

The Great ACO Experiment
Are ACOs the answer? Five Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs share their perspectives on the positives, negatives, progress, and long-term sustainability of the program.

Case Studies

Are Your EMR’s Document Management Features Enough?
Aurora Health Care decides to use a separate document management program to handle the 50,000 pages per day the organization generates.

How To Make Huge Cuts To Document Scanning Expenses
Baptist Health uses e-signature capture to reduce manual scanning by up to 4,000 documents daily.

Eliminating Costly Medical Errors With Bar Code Scanning
Children’s Medical Center in Dallas continues to upgrade its handheld scanners used during medication administration.

Q&As

Taking The Ego Out Of EMR Implementation
Ego can derail an EMR implementation, but communication, honesty, and a strong physician champion can ensure success.

Integrating A Private HIE With Myriad EMRs
Becoming part of a national public HIE is fraught with challenges. One facility has opted to implement a private HIE for more standardized sharing of patient information.

A Mobile Cart Balancing Act
While experimenting with tablets, smartphones, and other medical devices, this regional hospital believes mobile carts are still crucial to its mobility initiatives. The key is ensuring that each tool provides value to clinicians and patients.