MiraMed Global Services Podcast

Despite the short-term nature of pandemics, it is clear that we are not out of the woods just yet as it concerns COVID.  The virus that began in 2019 is still a factor in certain hot zones, including at least 5 U.S. states.  Michigan, for example, is currently experiencing the biggest surge in cases—despite its history of mask mandates and rigid lockdowns.  This raises the question of how American hospitals, as a group, are handling the 2021 version of COVID.  One government agency decided to get some answers to that question.

If perfection is the standard, then it is clear that we often come up short, depending on the task. However, it is the push toward that goal that puts us on the path of improvement, constant improvement. This is the real message of Carter's retrospective account: to simply get better. That is something we can all achieve.

For those who work in our nation's hospitals, the goal should be perfection in patient care, which means working every day to get as close to that goal as possible. So, what does that look like? 

In this age of 24-hour news, it's hard to wade through all the chatter to see what really matters; so, we've done the wading for you. In today's article, we provide you with three recent news stories that are particularly applicable to hospitals and those that run them.

Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a Medicare Learning Network (MLN) article addressing changes to the IPPS rules that will take effect April 5 of this year.

The ECRI’s list of patient safety concerns for 2021—listed in order of ranking— with our commentary following each.

PROVISIONS OF THE BILL

The following reflects a summary of some of the most pertinent components of the bill, from a hospital perspective.  The summary is based in-part on a document published by the American Hospital Association (AHA).

In the event you, as a hospital administrator, have been getting that nagging feeling of late that someone is watching from afar, you are not delusional or on the brink of a nervous breakdown.  In fact, your instincts have served you well; for, the federal government has just admitted that it has been quietly checking up on hospital billing practices, and it doesn’t like what it sees.  

It’s been a little over a year since the first COVID-19 case was treated in an American hospital.  Since that time, we have witnessed one of the most remarkable societal transformations to occur in peace time.  

After a year of languishing in the extreme conditions caused by COVID, hospitals are showing new life and a renewed hope for a positive future. The once suppressed revenues and restrained budgets are now loosening up, and some hospitals are poised to hit the ground running—and not just for the long term. The short term is in play as well.

High towers, thick stones and surrounding water traps were the cutting-edge means of protecting a building back in the Middle Ages.  Today, however, the methods of attack are ingeniously sophisticated, and we must erect new defenses to match the threat.  That is especially true when it comes to large institutions with lots to lose, like hospitals.