Western Pennsylvania Healthcare News

Covering healthcare news in the Pittsburgh region and beyond.

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Why Our Healthcare Environments Can Reduce Workplace Injury

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Alan RheaultBy Alan Rheault

As the wave of changes shifts our healthcare system from diagnosis and treatment to prevention and wellness, clinicians and nurses play a key role in shaping the healthcare environment and the patient experience. Yet this group is highly susceptible and vulnerable to work place injuries. While we look to advance our healthcare model, experience and environment overall, we need not only think of the patient but also the professional caregiver.

Statistics from the American Nurses Association actually shows registered nurses (RNs) ranked fifth of all occupations in the number of work days missed due to occupational injuries and illnesses. In a recent survey titled the 2013 State of Clinician & Nurses Report, undertaken by Nurture by Steelcase, 35% of clinicians and nurses report being injured at least once on the job while 24% had to modify activity or movement during at least one shift. Significant shifts are adding complexity to the healthcare system, as new challenges interface with new opportunities. Nurse to patient ratios, the expectation to provide “guidance and leadership”, the integration of technology, diversity and specialization and expanding responsibilities are all at play. 

[Read more…]

Thinking About a Management Move?

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Here are five things you can do as a middle manager to position yourself for upward mobility

By Kim Bassett

Middle managers serve a vital role within any organization. You are the bridge between top administration and the support services staff. The responsibility of implementing strategic plans falls on your shoulders — right down to the smallest of details. You enjoy the challenges of working to keep your employees and customers happy and satisfied.  You may love your job, happy to carry out these directives, seeing the results firsthand, never desiring to cross that bridge and move into upper management. But some may want more.

Do you find yourself thinking you have what it takes to accept more responsibility?  Do you want to continue your upward climb within the organization? There are not as many top-level positions available as people desiring to have them.  What can you do to make sure those leaders making the decisions about promotions recognize your talents and abilities?  [Read more…]

Entitled Patients: 6 Ways to Respond 

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Susan Keane BakerBy Susan Keane Baker

You probably know patients who present with entitled attitudes and you may think there’s not much you can do about them.  Entitled patients often demand excessive attention and may question your competence when they are not satisfied with how important you make them feel.

By using one or more of the following approaches, you can manage entitled patients respectfully while reducing your risk of stress and burnout.

# 1 – Be on the same side.  When an entitled patient brags about knowing your CEO, your best strategy is to praise your CEO with a lot of specifics.  

“You know our CEO George Doria?  Isn’t he amazing?  At our weekly meetings, he’s the most down-to-earth guy.  He never fails to ask how my son is doing in baseball.”

The entitled person immediately sees that threatening to complain to the CEO is not going to intimidate you.  And it may dawn on him that you’re in a position to complain to the CEO about the entitled attitude he presented. 

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Presbyterian SeniorCare Network hosts Teepa Snow, leading Alzheimer’s and Dementia Educator

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Join Presbyterian SeniorCare Network as they host Teepa Snow, America’s Leading Alzheimer’s and Dementia Educator. If you want to learn more about Alzheimer ’s disease and other related dementias you don’t want to miss this educational event. All sessions are free and open to the public.

Healthcare professionals needing CEU credits: two hours will be offered at each session for a total of six CEU’s. You may choose to attend one, two or all three sessions.

Two opportunities to attend:

July 16, 2018

Longwood at Oakmont, Commons Ballroom
500 Route 909, Verona, PA 15147
Register by July 11, 2018 to OakmontEvent@SrCare.org or by calling 412-435-8955.

July 18, 2018
Presbyterian SeniorCare Network, Hillsview Chapel
835 South Main Street, Washington, PA 15301
Register by July 16, 2018 to WashingtonEvent@SrCare.org or by calling 724-250-5001. [Read more…]

Electronic Claims Transactions Help Healthcare Providers Cut Administrative Costs, Improve Cash Flow

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By Dr. William DeGasperis

Today’s healthcare providers now understand the many advantages of sharing health information electronically and its value in delivering higher quality, safer patient care. At the same time, the advent of electronic information exchange is also benefitting provider practices, with electronic processing of medical bills and claims, better known as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), translating into greater efficiency and profitability. 

As the industry shifts from paper-based to electronic transaction processing, amid an array of demanding new laws and regulations in some states that require electronic transactions, Providers will reap the many benefits:

• Faster reimbursement 

• No paper claims to stock and complete

• Simplified record keeping by eliminating lost claims paperwork

• Reduced clerical time and the costs to process and mail paper claims

Providers will find it helpful to understand how EDI works, be informed about best practices, and know what to look for when it comes to choosing an EDI clearinghouse partner to ensure seamless implementation.  [Read more…]

Combining Clinical Know-How and Management Skills to Improve Healthcare  

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By Kim Bassett

I have been a nurse for over 30 years.  I started my career knowing nursing was the only job for me.  I loved being at the bedside working with patients and families.  Helping others was my passion.  My career turned from direct patient care 20 years ago when I became a Chief Nurse and then, again, 13 years ago when I became a hospital CEO. I am often asked how and why I made the change from nursing to hospital leadership.  I always start by saying the same thing, “I rely more on my nursing background when managing my hospital than my MBA.” 

Merging clinical background with management know-how has definitely improved my decision-making abilities and thus effectively improving patient care.  Although you don’t have to be a nurse or have clinical background to be a hospital executive, I certainly encourage healthcare providers to consider healthcare administration.     [Read more…]

How to Double or Triple the Size of Your Urgent Care Practice

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By Luis de la Prida

You probably got into medicine because you wanted to make a difference in the world.  You recognized that urgent care fills a gap in the healthcare market.  You get to interact with a diverse range of patients, fulfilling your own vision of how healthcare should be done.

Now that you’ve been up and running for a while, the administrative burden is keeping you from what you love: practicing medicine.  It’s time to decide whether to hold and maintain or grow. How do you take your practice to the next level?

Growth takes risk and thinking strategically. If you find yourself at the point of wanting to grow, but not quite sure how to do it, then you’ll want to read further.

Current Landscape for Urgent Care Practices

Before figuring out how to create a growth plan or implementing an acquisition strategy, it is important to know the lay of the land.  Knowing who’s buying and why is an important step toward effective negotiating.  Knowing why practices are selling can position you to make an attractive offer that beats out your larger competitors. [Read more…]

Gov. Tom Wolf Vetoes Bill Limiting Prescription Drugs For Injured Workers

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Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf recently vetoed a bill which sought to limit the type and amount of prescription drugs workers could access. Senate Bill 936 essentially gave employers greater discretion in terms of medications. Its aim was supposed to curtail prescription medication abuse, yet as noted by Wolf, “ Make no mistake, Senate Bill 936 is not a bill designed to fight the opioid crisis. It is wrong to sacrifice health care for our first responders to protect the bottom-line for insurance companies and corporations.”

What did Senate Bill 936 require?

Senate Bill 936 called for a drastic law to compensation law in Pennsylvania. It sought to establish a pre-approved list of prescription medications for every injured employee. In other words, if a doctor prescribed a specific drug that was not present in the list, insurance companies could effectively overrule what doctors deem fit. According to The Morning Call, “This legislation is a less-than-candid effort by health insurers and large employers to cut costs at the expense of injured workers.” [Read more…]

Event Showcases Talent and Creativity of At-Risk Youth

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Adelphoi, a community-based organization providing therapeutic treatment and behavioral health services to at-risk youth and families, held a Showcase of Stars and Groundbreaking event on May 17 at its main campus in Latrobe, PA.  Attended by Adelphoi staff, board, donors and supporters, the event served two purposes:  celebrating the talent, creativity and achievement of its student stars and breaking ground on a new Youth and Family Center and Welcome Center.

The Showcase of Stars event featured youth from Adelphoi’s programs, which include group homes, foster care and adoption, educational services and mental health programs, to serve as “stars” for the evening, as they demonstrated their skills and accomplishments as part of Adephoi’s Career Readiness Program.  The event featured a special performance by theater students, artwork created by the STEAM students, demonstrations by Career Exploration students and hors-d’oeuvres provided by the culinary arts students.

According to Karyn Pratt, Director of Marketing and Development, “The Showcase of Stars was an opportunity for our youth to shine.  We were excited to show the community what our youth have learned and how they are preparing for their future.” [Read more…]

Pennsylvania is Feeling the Effects of the State-Wide Nurse Shortage

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The nursing shortage isn’t unique to Pennsylvania, and the problem has been slowly worsening over time. However, Pennsylvania is feeling the effects of a state-wide nurse shortage. Let’s look at the factors contributing to the nursing shortage and the impact this has on society at large. We’ll also share the hard data that brought this trend to light.

The Hard Data

Pennsylvania has over 180,000 nurses in its official registry. However, that number isn’t static. Existing nurses retire or quit, and they may or may not be replaced by people entering the profession.

A 2009 report found that enrolment in nursing schools was below the levels necessary to meet increasing demand due to an aging population, and the incoming talent may soon be outstripped by retirements. The average age of registered nurses is increasing since there are fewer young nurses coming in to replace those who retire or leave the profession. Approximately two-thirds of nurses surveyed were found to have been nurses for fifteen years or more. Another sixth had been nurses for three to eight years.

Nor could nursing schools simply expand enrolment to train new nurses since nursing schools themselves were struggling to fill faculty positions. Nationwide, nursing schools turned away almost eighty thousand potential bachelor and advanced degree applicants due to faculty shortages. Ironically, this hurts the faculty shortage since you need an advanced nursing degree to become a nursing faculty member. [Read more…]