year: 2014
15 Freed Associates share their perspectives on the 2015 healthcare landscape.
As 2014 comes to an end and we look forward to the new year, several of our Freed consultants provide insights on the key areas affecting the 2015 healthcare landscape and suggest how organizations can best meet the challenges ahead. Topics Covered: Fresh Insights and Perspectives on the Affordable Care Act Triple Aim and Healthier Data: Envisioning a Better Healthcare System Competitive Marketplace: The Need for Innovation and Flexibility Health Information Exchanges: Using Gathered Data to Improve Healthcare Scalability and...
Triple Aim and Healthier Data: Envisioning a Better Healthcare System
In 2015, more attention will be given to improving the patient care experience, managing population health, and reducing the costs of healthcare. The simultaneous pursuit of these is defined by the Triple Aim, which underlies most of the programs and initiatives in which healthcare organizations are involved. The improved quality and availability of electronic data will help bring these goals closer to reality. We see organizations joining more accountable care initiatives, identifying and eliminating waste, and putting greater focus on...
Competitive Marketplace: The Need for Innovation and Flexibility.
Healthcare organizations are challenged to provide improved health outcomes in a climate of increased regulation and market competition. Innovation, flexibility and a strong value proposition are keys to success in 2015 and beyond. “Consolidation will continue in healthcare, it’s inevitable. Prominent healthcare organizations will continue to lead by enhancing their Innovation Centers.” –Mark Jahn “Many Independent Practice Associations (IPAs) in California will be challenged to maintain their value proposition to their provider network. As physicians within these associations age and near retirement,...
Health Information Exchanges: Using Gathered Data to Improve Health Care
Freed has been helping healthcare organizations implement EHRs for more than a decade and understands the challenges involved in assuring successful outcomes. Following the implementation of EHRs, one of the next challenges is how to share that information across incompatible IT platforms. “As organizations consider the reams of patient data they’ve collected, one of their biggest challenges is determining what to look for, how to get the information they need and how to respond to it all. While this is a...
Scalability and Optimization: Identifying Improvement Opportunities
With the cost of providing healthcare growing and the resources to pay for it becoming scarcer, one of the great challenges ahead will be optimizing workflows. “Clients are increasingly challenged to execute projects effectively — specifically, accomplishing project goals on time and on budget. Organizations often churn in their execution of projects causing a lot of frustration, cost overruns and project delays. They frequently employ poor project management practices or over-engineer their projects. They can minimize inefficiency and greatly improve their...
Fresh Insights and Perspective on the Affordable Care Act
The impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is far reaching; whether you are addressing medical loss ratios, participating in an Accountable Care Organization (ACO), or looking for ways to make Meaningful Use practices effective. “Politics will continue to play a role in healthcare and the evolution of ACA is not an exception. We expect changes in the coming year, and a slowdown in some requirements. This will challenge healthcare organizational priorities and impact budgets.” – Scott Walkiewicz “Since the ACA resulted in...
How Doctors Can Engage Patients and Meet Stage 2 Meaningful Use Guidelines By Robin Figueroa
When we, at Freed Associates, talk with medical professionals about Meaningful Use (MU) objective requirements, we’re used to seeing their eyes roll back in their heads. The most frequent reaction is, “So what? This is just another program that makes us click boxes in an electronic health record (EHR) so someone (other than us) can receive money. This means nothing to us or to patient care. Meaningful Use (MU) is not meaningful to us or our patients.” Adapting to new technology...
A Roadmap for Meeting ICD-10: Taking a Break is Not an Option
Since the deadline for ICD-10 compliance has been delayed until October 2015, healthcare organizations may be tempted to ignore the initiative for several months. Most of our clients have gone into a slow-down period after getting their technical side compliant. According to Healthcare IT News, the annual report to Congress from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology shows that 59 percent of hospitals and 48 percent of physicians had at least a basic EHR system. Among...
Moving Your Healthcare Organization – Eight Strategies to Ensure Your Move Runs Smoothly By Margaret Leonard, Joella Canales and Laika Kayani
Making a move in the best of times is difficult. For medical practices, clinics and hospitals already challenged by our changing healthcare landscape, planning for a move or transition takes specialized skills and experience. By selecting an appropriate manager for the project, identifying and engaging appropriate stakeholders, and having a well-designed strategic transition plan, you’ll have a great opportunity to come out a hero — and not the victim of unforeseen circumstances. The following checklist is designed to help you develop...
Leverage Your Healthcare Data for Business Insights
As more information is transitioned to electronic format, the possibilities for using data to address healthcare business needs are nearly limitless.
ICD-10 Announcement: Freed Associates Response
On April 1, 2014, President Obama signed H.R. 4302, Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014. Within this bill there is an ICD-10 delay provision which states: "The Secretary of Health and Human Services may not, prior to October 1, 2015, adopt ICD-10 code sets as the standard for code sets under section 1173(c) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320d-2(c)) and section 162.1002 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations." While the industry awaits news from CMS, we...