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Our consultants have extensive knowledge of critical issues for leaders of
today’s healthcare provider organizations. With the
depth of our understanding, we have created publications that
address these current topics, including ECG’s Insight
executive series, as well as topical Executive Briefings.
These recent publications provide solutions to issues that
are on the front burner. For additional insights and ideas,
please visit our Speeches
and Articles pages.
| Topical
& Timely |
ARRA/HITECH
Act - Meaningful Use Definition and Response (June
2009)
The HIT Policy Committee released the definition for
Meaningful Use (the criteria that is required to be
met for physicians and health systems to receive stimulus
funding for EHR adoption under the ARRA/HITECH Act)
in mid June. We support this effort in general as well
as the overarching goals of improving the quality and
reducing the cost of healthcare. But in performing a
review of this criteria and associated documentation,
the criteria are surprisingly broad and complex, and
likely to cause significant concern for both physicians
and health systems that have already implemented EHR
technology and those that have not yet. This e-mail
addresses areas of concern and lack of specificity with
the definition of Meaningful Use. |
| Insight |
Precision
in Cost-Reduction Initiatives - Targeting High-Opportunity
Areas (Fall 2009)
Given uncertain patient volumes, declining reimbursement,
and weakening balance sheets, many hospitals are pursuing
significant cost-reduction initiatives in an effort
to stabilize financial returns. Though cost reductions
are seldom easy, techniques exist that can be implemented
relatively quickly and that allow hospital leaders to
be smarter and more selective in identifying areas for
expense reduction. This Insight explores two
tools – operational benchmarking and management
span-of-control analysis – which hospitals can
use to better target expense reduction and help ensure
sustained improvement. |
|
ECG Diagnostic |
Hospital/Physician Alignment: The PHO Model (November 2009)
The foundation for physician hospital organizations (PHOs)
was historically based on provider collaboration through risk
contracting. In some markets, PHOs have been maintained, and over
time, many have expanded their missions to focus on services that
drive quality and efficiency. However, the PHO as an alignment
model leaves more to be desired for hospitals and physicians that
share the objectives of being clinically integrated and facilitating
the movement toward outcomes and value-based medicine. The purpose
of this ECG Diagnostic is to evaluate the role of the PHO as it
continues to evolve into a strategic alignment tool for hospitals and
physicians and articulate a range of options that will facilitate this
transformation. |
| Executive
Briefings |
Don't Be Intimidated: Process Improvement Within a School of Medicine Department
(March 2010)
Administrative leaders at all levels within schools of
medicine, from department administrators to chairs to management
within the Dean’s Office, manage multiple processes. Based upon
our experience, most departments would benefit from reviewing key
management processes to identify opportunities for elimination of
non-value-added tasks and redundancies, as well as for potential
automation. This Executive Briefing provides suggestions regarding
where, how, and why to apply basic yet rigorous process improvement
methodologies to create efficiencies and reduce cycle times, which
may lead to cost savings. |
Grandfather Expiration Leaves Pathology Labs Shortchanged - Amending Your Independent Lab Agreement
(February 2010)
Prior to January 1, 2010, Medicare reimbursed independent laboratories
directly for the technical component of anatomic pathology services if the
hospital they serve was grandfathered through use of an independent laboratory
in 1999. This grandfather provision expired on January 1, and although a
permanent grandfathering provision was provided for in both the House and
Senate healthcare reform bills, laboratories that are relying on Medicare’s
reimbursement may never receive payment for services provided to these
grandfathered hospitals. This Executive Briefing addresses how to amend
your contract with your laboratory to begin paying the laboratory fair market
value (FMV) for the technical component of anatomic pathology services. |
Preparing
Your Organization for the 2010 Medicare Physician
Fee Schedule Changes (December 2009)
During the week of December 14, Congress passed
legislation to delay the -21.2 percent payment
update considered by CMS for the 2010 Medicare
Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) until after February
28, 2010. However, RVU changes associated with
the 2010 MPFS are still anticipated to be implemented
on January 1, 2010. The decrease in reimbursement
was derived as a result of a formula that includes
the sustainable-growth rate (SGR) mechanism, which
was established with the enactment of the Balanced
Budget Act of 1997. However, the U.S. Senate is
currently considering the Medicare Physician Payment
Reform Act (H.R. 3961) which would replace the
current formula with a new methodology that results
in a 1.2% increase instead of the -21.2% update.
This Executive Briefing offers our thoughts
on the impact and implications of, as well as
possible actions for, medical groups to take in
light of these changes. |
Increased Scrutiny on Hospital/Physician Agreements:
Avoid Being a Headline (October
2009)
Enforcement of the Stark law is intensifying.
Headlines announcing settlements between hospitals
and the Office of the Inspector General are increasing.
OIG investigations have resulted in senior executives
losing their jobs, hospitals losing strategic
ground in their market, and hospital/physician
relations being strained. This Executive Briefing
explains how your organization can improve compliance
and avoid the anguish associated with an OIG investigation. |
Optimizing Performance in Cardiovascular Service
Lines (September 2009)
Top-performing hospitals utilize a dashboard
of key indicators to evaluate the performance
of their cardiovascular (CV) service line.
The composition of the dashboard is reflective
of the key elements of the CV service line’s
strategic goals, whether they are financial and
statistical performance, achievement of quality
targets, or patient satisfaction. By translating
a hospital’s strategies into quantifiable
and measurable objectives, a performance dashboard
can help align interests, retain the focus of
key players on the same set of core issues, and
ultimately ensure that a hospital achieves its
strategic vision for the CV service line.
This Executive Briefing describes the
key elements of a robust CV service line performance
dashboard and the steps needed to ensure successful
implementation. |
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