The health care manager
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The health care manager · Oct 2006
Halfway there? Check to see if you are: six of 11 health insurance portability and accountability act rules are set.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act contains 11 rules, 6 of which have been released to date. Within each of the rules are numerous actions to be implemented. This article reviews those actions and provides health care managers with what exactly needs to be done to be in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act effectively and efficiently.
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The health care manager · Apr 2006
Can case management interventions reduce the number of emergency department visits by frequent users?
This study examined the impact of nurse case management interventions on the number of visits of frequent users of a level 1, urban Emergency Department that sees over 70,000 patient visits per year. Frequent users, defined as those having over 3 visits in a month, were tracked before and after implementation of nurse case management interventions designed to reduce their visit rate. ⋯ This is a medically vulnerable patient group whose visits add to the contemporary problem of Emergency Department overcrowding. The ability of case management interventions to reduce the volume of visits and associated impact on reducing Emergency Department overcrowding was not proven.
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The health care manager · Apr 2006
Satisfaction for health care employees: a quest for the Holy Grail?
This article proposes that, across industries, too much has been made of the importance of job satisfaction and its impact on organizational effectiveness. In addition, so much attention has been directed toward satisfaction that many health care employees, particularly nurses, now expect job satisfaction from their employers as an entitlement. In nursing, feelings about job satisfaction may, in fact, be exacerbated by the idealism which leads the young person entering the field to expect to be in a "helping profession" where workers almost automatically encounter the satisfaction that comes from giving the help which the patient desperately needs. ⋯ This situation is not unique to nurses. Many health care professionals face equally dissatisfying aspects of their jobs. Our focus is primarily on reducing job dissatisfaction, rather than improving job satisfaction, through practical solutions for those charged with attracting and retaining health care employees during tight labor markets.
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The health care manager · Oct 2005
Historical ArticleMedicare-the development of publicly financed health insurance: Medicare's impact on the nation's health care system.
It is useful for health care managers to understand Medicare's history and the impact on providers of ever-changing Medicare payment methods. Initially, Medicare payments resembled those of commercial insurance plans and Blue Cross Blue Shield plans. When Congress became concerned about the increasing costs of Medicare, new payment methods were created to limit payments to providers. ⋯ Changes in payer reimbursements require health care managers to adjust the department's charge master and exert more control of departmental costs. The story of Medicare's beginnings and development can provide some insight into the possibility of national health insurance, given the historic and current politics that limit publicly financed social programs. This article discusses the development of Medicare and its administration and serves as an introduction to the complex realities of health care reimbursement policy.
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The health care manager · Jul 2005
ReviewHospital design and staff perceptions: an exploratory analysis.
The movement in the health care design field to focus on "patient-centered care" and "healing environments" is often reflected in the health care facilities' incorporation of features meant to mitigate the stressful nature of serious illness. These features may range from a resource center (to allow patients and families to properly educate themselves about their illness) to providing space in rooms so family members can remain with patients, to more ambient features such as soft lighting, water features, or healing gardens. Research has shown that such features can in fact have positive effects for patients and may reduce stress and speed physical healing. ⋯ Exploratory analysis and interpretation will begin to shed light on whether or not building design can have an impact (positive or negative) on staff satisfaction. This can potentially act as a springboard to guide future empirical research in the area of health care design and its impact on staff satisfaction and well-being. By analyzing findings from a recent employee satisfaction survey, we can begin to understand how the hospital staff perceives the design of their building and begin to determine if these perceptions might impact health outcomes among the employees.