General

Nearly half of physicians think EHRs have decreased quality of care, survey finds

By Jackie Drees for Becker’s Hospital Review More physicians (44 percent) believe that EHRs have hurt quality of care in their workplace than the 40 percent who said the technology has improved it, according to a recent Medscape poll released May 1. Medscape surveyed 273 U.S. clinicians — 207 physicians and 66 nurses and advanced practice…

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Washington health system files for bankruptcy, cites issues with revenue cycle vendor

Ayla Ellison for Becker’s Hospital Review Astria Health, a three-hospital health system based in Sunnyside, Wash., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on May 6. Astria plans to use the bankruptcy process to restructure its finances, enter into a plan of reorganization with its creditors and replace its billing company, according to TV station KIMA.…

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Of Viral Importance

By Lisa A. Eramo, MA for For the Record Why Your Hospital’s Reputation Depends—at Least Partially—on Accurate Pneumonia Coding These days, it takes seconds for patients to view mortality and readmissions data on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Hospital Compare website (www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare). With a few clicks of the mouse, they can—and frequently do—draw…

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Maintaining a healthy revenue cycle means tapping into the consumer mentality

By Jeff Lagasse for Healthcare Finance A healthy revenue cycle can’t stay healthy for long without a strong collections process, and collections can’t stay strong unless there’s money to collect. That means health systems are increasingly behaving like brands, seeking to attract patients — and their pocketbooks. Nowadays, attracting patients means taking a more consumer-focused…

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EMR parody account on Twitter draws following from frustrated physicians

By Jackie Drees for Becker’s Hospital Review A parody account on Twitter highlighting physicians’ frustrations with EMR systems has gained more than 10,000 followers since it launched last month, WBUR reports. The account, EPICparodyEMR, is managed by a male physician at a “major East Coast-based hospital,” according to WBUR. The account’s creator did not reveal…

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Michigan medical practice to close after refusing to pay ransom to hackers

By Jackie Drees for Becker’s Hospital Review Battle Creek, Mich.-based Brookside ENT and Hearing Center is shutting down after cyber hackers deleted all the practice’s patient records, WWMT, a CBS affiliate, reports. Hackers obtained no patient information because the practice’s EHR system encrypted the files, John Bizon, MD, co-founder of Brookside ENT and Hearing Center,…

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8 hospitals closed so far this year — here’s why

By Ayla Ellison for Becker’s Hospital Review From reimbursement landscape challenges to dwindling patient volumes, many factors lead hospitals to close. Here are the factors that led eight hospitals to close so far this year: 1. Belmont Community Hospital, a 99-bed hospital in Bellaire, Ohio, closed April 5. Hospital officials cited a decline in patient volume as the…

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