Foster good patient relations by minimizing wait times
July 9th 2010In most patient satisfaction surveys related to the medical practice setting, patients' main concern is long wait times. Even though a long wait time is not likely to be the main complaint in a lawsuit, it does not endear the doctor to the jury. A proactive approach and communication are key.
South Carolina tests medical home payment model
July 9th 2010Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina and the Palmetto Health Family Medicine Center/University of South Carolina School of Medicine Department of Family and Preventive Medicine began a program this month that compensates the medical center for extra care coordinating and pays incentives to physicians if the center can show improved patient health results.
Oral, IV steroids offer similar efficacy for COPD
July 9th 2010Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations treated with low-dose oral corticosteroids have outcomes similar to those treated with more costly and invasive high-dose intravenous corticosteroid therapy, according to new research.
Obstacles to clinical data use remain, healthcare providers say
June 24th 2010One obstacle to better use of clinical data within healthcare organizations is that capturing discrete patient data and entering that data in a computable format appear to be daunting, resource-intensive tasks, according to healthcare providers participating in a study, the findings of which are summarized in a white paper titled, Can Organizations Maximize Clinical Data?
National initiative will share health data to spur creation of new apps
June 24th 2010A national initiative by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Institute of Medicine aims to improve access to health data so that developers of Web and mobile phone applications, social media, and other information technologies can create tools designed to improve health.