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In part one of the Patient Room of the Future series, I shared a high-level overview of the next-generation patient environment and spotlighted some of the emerging technologies in the latest iterations on the concept. We also previewed the work Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is doing…

Across the country, health systems have made significant investments in recent years installing electronic health records (EHRs) — sometimes spending tens of millions of dollars. Eight years after the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act offered providers…

Let’s face it: Most hospital patients would prefer to be just about anywhere other than a hospital room. They’re likely not feeling 100%, have little control over their environment and are unclear about the status of their health and treatment. Throw in concerns about keeping visiting family…

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…