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In NorthBay Healthcare’s early days, the sole focus of our only hospital in Fairfield, Calif., was to provide care for everyone in our community, regardless of their ability to pay. That remains a key component of our mission today, but our quest has greatly expanded to encompass a vast array of…

Healthcare providers today have no shortage of mobile apps, patient portals and digital engagement tools to offer patients. While this splurge of innovation is good for patients who demand and deserve better access and knowledge, it’s creating additional complexity for health system leadership. How…

When a patient is discharged from the hospital, he or she has every reasonable expectation that a potentially avoidable readmission won’t happen. However, by some estimates, nearly 20% of Medicare patients are readmitted within 30 days, and nearly 34% within 90 days, leading to more than $17…

It’s no secret that empowering patients with the right information at the right time improves quality and reduces costs. When hospitals and medical groups use our solution to have daily dialogues with patients, we see those patients make informed decisions that prevent complications and even…

Executive bonuses for health system CEOs have long been linked to financial targets, such as net income, profit, operating margins and cash flow. More recently, as value-based payment methodologies reward good outcomes, forward-thinking health systems are beginning to tie executive compensation to…

If you’ve recently submitted your organization’s BPCI Advanced application, congratulations! Since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced late last year that it would end mandatory bundled payment models for hip fractures and cardiac care, many have worried that this would be a…

Adopting a patient engagement platform poses challenges for many health systems and medical groups, both in terms of gaining buy-in from stakeholders and getting patients to use it. Overcoming those hurdles is critical, however, as an engaged patient is often one with better outcomes. And that’s…

Editor’s Note Ten years ago, GetWellNetwork crossed paths with a family whose mission was pure and whose commitment was profound. They were on a mission to recognize nurses for the extraordinary compassionate care they provide every day. It was a goal born out of their own loss. The movement…

As online review sites gained traction, some feared that physicians would change their plans for treatment to get better reviews, and others pointed out that anonymous commenters could harm the reputations of good providers. But the evidence to date suggests that online reviews have strengthened…

This week, more than 45,000 healthcare IT professionals, clinicians, executives and vendors from around the world have assembled in Las Vegas for the 2018 HIMSS Annual Conference and Exhibition to discover the latest technologies, trends and solutions in health IT. Themed “Where the World Connects…