Archive for April, 2011

Universal Health Services: The Value of Innovation in Healthcare

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The healthcare industry remains a place of rapid change and uncertainty. Innovative ideas are needed more than ever in order to improve quality and keep costs in check. The introduction of universal electronic medical records across healthcare organizations by 2015 will offer a dramatic change in the way healthcare is delivered, according to Alan Miller, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Universal Health Services (UHS) and author of “Healthcare Reform That Makes Sense”.

A speaker at the marcus evans National Healthcare CXO Summit Spring 2011 in Hollywood, Florida, May 25-27, Miller says that healthcare organizations must be as lean and streamlined as possible, while providing exceptional service.

What innovations can help take the quality of healthcare to the next level while containing costs?

Alan Miller: The introduction of electronic medical records is a major innovation and will increase efficiency of hospital systems. The US government is trying to introduce electronic medical records to eliminate duplication as everyone’s information will be on file. Incentives are being offered to healthcare organizations to install electronic medical records so that a patient’s record is available to hospitals across the board.

It is going to take until 2015 for this to be implemented. It will be introduced in stages, as it is a monumental task to develop such a system and implement it in every hospital. The government has a five year horizon on this plan.

UHS is making a USD 200 million investment into this system. To incentivize people to put the system in and improve the quality of healthcare, the US government is providing funds to facilitate the transition.

When it comes to the economics of efficient hospital construction, how has hospital design and construction capability been an important competitive advantage to UHS?

Alan Miller: Efficient hospital construction is always an advantage. The more it costs to design and build, the more debt an organization has to carry, the less profit is made and the more that has to be charged for services. We are able to achieve significant cost savings – completing projects at 19 per cent below industry average – through the way we design buildings and select contractors. Incentives added into the contract guarantee the hospital is built on time and on budget.

What major effects are we likely to see as a result of US healthcare reform?

Alan Miller: The Healthcare Reform Bill is 2,700 pages long and this is why I wrote the book “Healthcare Reform that Makes Sense”, to take a look at how we can achieve the change that everyone can believe in. The reform will have consequences across the board and is very costly; a trillion dollar a year program.

What should healthcare CEOs be focusing on at the moment?

Alan Miller: Healthcare CEOs have to be concerned about the major expense of providing a suitable level of coverage and effective alternatives in coverage for their employees, to ensure they can have a good healthcare program. They have to be concerned about the contracts that they make with the healthcare providers and must provide co-pay and determine the levels of co-pay. This is obviously put together by the Human Resources and claims departments but the CEO has to be involved.

Contact:
Maeve McGovern
Group News and Features Writer, marcus evans
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com

About the National Healthcare CXO Summit Spring 2011

This unique forum will take place at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, Hollywood, Florida, May 25-27, 2011. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition or trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry thought leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The Summit includes presentations on the implications of the Healthcare Reform, physician-hospital integration and care based cost containment.

For more information please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com or visit the event website

marcus evans group – healthcare sector portal

Please note that the summit is a closed business event and the number of participants strictly limited.

About marcus evans Summits

marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-on-one business meetings. For more information, please visit www.marcusevans.com 

All rights reserved. The above content may be republished or reproduced – kindly inform us by sending an email to press@marcusevanscy.com

CEP America: Doing More With Less in Healthcare

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“The most important thing hospitals can do is make sure they have effective physician and nurse leadership in the emergency department. In our experience, that has been the most important indicator of high performance,” says Dr Wesley Curry, Chief Executive Officer, CEP America. From a solution provider company attending the marcus evans National Healthcare CNO Summit Spring 2011 and National Healthcare CXO Summit Spring 2011, Curry shares his thoughts on doing more with less, and how to keep abreast of changes ahead of the Healthcare Reform.

Doing more with less is a hot topic in the industry. What works best at improving patient care, whilst reducing costs?

Wesley Curry: One of the first things the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) needs to consider is an assessment of the physician and nurse leadership in the emergency department. The question is, will they be effective partners in collaborating with others, and help lead the hospital’s response in making the future changes and performance improvement that will be required for hospitals in the communities they serve? 

Healthcare Reform will drive more people to access emergency departments in the future. There will be fewer dollars, and higher expectations for performance and quality. One of our major initiatives is Rapid Medical Evaluation™ (RME), a “provider at triage” process that allows hospitals to see and evaluate patients at the earliest moment after they arrive, and discharge or admit them in a timely manner. RME was developed using the LEAN process of reducing wasted time and resources. It has been successfully implemented in over 40 of our public, faith based, and for profit client hospitals, which has allowed us to see more patients without additional ED beds or major staffing increases.    

How can hospitals prepare for the Healthcare Reform?

Wesley Curry: Hospitals must figure out the best practices today that achieve optimal operational performance in the healthcare reform era. Our experience has been that high patient volumes, adverse demographics, staffing, and the physical attributes of the emergency department are challenges, but are not barriers to high patient satisfaction, and strong operational performance. The hospitals best prepared to prosper in the future will demonstrate excellence in using industry best practices in leadership, performance, quality, and collaboration. 

What is the “best” hospital organizational culture and how can it be set up?
 
Wesley Curry: The best organization culture has committed administrators, physicians and nurses who understand the hospital’s mission and vision, while being effective leaders who can lead change and motivate people.

Contact:
Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian
Press Manager
marcus evans, Summits Division
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com

For more information on the National Healthcare CNO Summit Spring 2011 and National Healthcare CXO Summit 2011, please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com or visit the websites

marcus evans group – healthcare sector portal

About marcus evans Summits

marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-on-one business meetings. For more information, please visit www.marcusevans.com 

About CEP America

Founded in 1975, CEP America is the national leader in developing and implementing emergency department programs that excel in quality, service, and operational excellence. A physician-owned democratic partnership, CEP America is a premier provider of physician staffing, management, and consulting services for over 80 Emergency Department and Ambulatory Care Practices across the nation. For more information, visit: www.cepamerica.com

All rights reserved. The above content may be republished or reproduced – kindly inform us by sending an email to press@marcusevanscy.com

Need for Dynamic Physician-Hospital Collaboration

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Uncertainty surrounds the rolling out of President Obama’s Healthcare Reform with hospitals and healthcare providers yet to feel the effects of its implementation. However, healthcare CEOs will be responsible for bringing value to the organization, which means improved quality and reduced cost, according to Dr Reginald Coopwood, Chief Executive Officer, Regional Medical Centre of Memphis.

A speaker at the marcus evans National Healthcare CXO Summit Spring 2011 taking place in Hollywood, Florida, May 25-27, Coopwood warns that by not putting value at the center they run the risk of being left behind.   

What are the pressing issues facing hospitals and healthcare providers at the moment?

Reginald Coopwood: The degree of uncertainty around the Healthcare Reform is the central issue at the moment. No one is sure what this is going to look like and what it means for the industry. We have yet to see how we are going to function in that new environment, as it is not well defined. The question is, who wants to be a market leader in an uncertain area?

What are the major implications of the Healthcare Reform?

Reginald Coopwood: Even though the biggest emphasis in the Healthcare Reform Bill is around payments, healthcare in the US revolves around where the incentives are. Unfortunately, this is usually financial incentives but when you change incentives, it moves the needle on how healthcare is provided. There is a big challenge around how to go from providing a service where volume is good to transforming that into a value industry, where cost, service and volume are not major indicators. That is where the opportunities are but it also means uncertainty and fear in the industry. We are now being compelled to put value at the center, which changes the conversation and pushes the agenda a little bit further.

What initiatives to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs have you implemented?

Reginald Coopwood: We have multiple Six Sigma teams throughout the hospital addressing that whole value equation. We have aggressively provided Six Sigma training in our facility around Emergency Department throughput and bed management. We are instituting it around our outpatient services as well. It is about putting more processes in place to make them more efficient and deliver more value.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of physician-hospital integration?

Reginald Coopwood: Looking at how healthcare has been historically delivered in US hospitals, they were open 24/7 to provide inpatient care for patients referred by private doctors. It was a co-dependent industry, with no real need to co-operate. As long as doctors had patients and practiced good medicine, it was a good relationship.

Moving forward, that relationship has to be more dynamic and more than just “the hospital is open” mentality. We have to look at how to partner with physicians and how healthcare will be delivered in the future. Without that partnership and relationship, it is going to be difficult to be competitive in the new paradigm. When we collaborate with physicians and learn to work to keep people healthy and out of hospital, I would challenge that we will not need as many beds as we do now.

What should healthcare CEOs be focusing on at the moment?

Reginald Coopwood: They have to focus on how to bring value to the organization and that means improved quality and reduced costs. If there is a healthcare CEO who is not focused on these propositions, they will run the risk of being left behind.

Contact:
Maeve McGovern
Group News and Features Writer
marcus evans
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com

About the National Healthcare CXO Summit Spring 2011

This unique forum will take place at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, Hollywood, Florida, May 25-27, 2011. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition or trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry thought leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The Summit includes presentations on the implications of the Healthcare Reform, physician-hospital integration and care based cost containment.

For more information please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com or visit the event website

marcus evans group – healthcare sector portal

Please note that the summit is a closed business event and the number of participants strictly limited.

About marcus evans Summits

marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-on-one business meetings. For more information, please visit www.marcusevans.com 

All rights reserved. The above content may be republished or reproduced – kindly inform us by sending an email to press@marcusevanscy.com