April 2012Oral Health: Drilling Down to the Root of Access ProblemsDoes the thought of an upcoming trip to the dentist strike fear in your heart? While many people fear dental work, the consequences of not visiting the dentist are actually scarier. Almost half of Ohio adults h ...
read moreFebruary 20122012 Presidential Candidates: Health Policy PlatformsThe election season is in full swing and unless you’ve joined the bears in hibernation you’ve probably caught some coverage of the Republican candidates vying for their party’s nomination. Tea ...
read moreJanuary 2012Top 10 Issues Facing Hospitals: 2012Looking for a story laced with mystery, intrigue and suspense? Look no further than this year’s highly anticipated U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the legality of the federal healthcare reform law. With the ...
read moreNovember 2011Federal Health Reform and the Individual Mandate Part II: Policy Alternatives
Of all the provisions in the recently enacted federal healthcare reform law, none has evoked as much controversy as the law’s minimum coverage requirement, which requires most individuals to maintain minimu ...
read moreOctober 2011Federal Health Reform and the Individual Mandate Part I: Legal ChallengesEscaping the media storm surrounding the federal healthcare reform law would be difficult even for those who rarely open a newspaper, surf the Web, or turn on the radio. Intense partisan battles that were waged ...
read moreAugust 2011Nurse Practitioners’ Role in Addressing Primary Care ShortagesPrimary care doctors are a cornerstone of the healthcare system. They are the first line of defense when we get sick, and they’re who we rely on to manage and coordinate our care when we have more complex healt ...
read moreJuly 2011How Patient-Centered Medical Homes Aim to Strengthen Primary Care
Primary care is often described as the backbone of the U.S. healthcare system. With policymakers, business leaders and consumer groups all agreeing on the importance of improving healthcare ...
read moreMay 2011Taking a Regional Approach to Trauma Care
None of us likes to think about the scenarios that could cause us or a loved one to require trauma care, but if that care is needed for life-threatening injuries, we all want to be assured that the appropri ...
read moreFebruary 2011From Uncompensated Care to Government Shortfall: Clarifying Key Terms
Charity care. Bad debt. Government shortfall. Uncompensated care. These are all terms used to describe a portion of the care hospitals provide as part of their mission to their communities, but many of us h ...
read moreJanuary 2011Dear Lawmaker: Considerations from the Northeast Ohio Hospital Community
The start of the new year and legislative session have brought many new faces to Washington’s Capitol Hill and Columbus’ Capitol Square. Newly elected officials and their veteran colleagues face a considera ...
read moreNovember 2010Performance Measurement: A Pivotal Piece of the Quality Puzzle
A variety of forces are converging to vastly transform U.S. healthcare as we know it. The passage of historic health reform legislation has a host of implications for the system, many which are still unknow ...
read moreOctober 2010Vaccines: Narrowing Disparities and Recent Advances Offer Reason to Celebrate
With the return of children and teachers to school and the dropping autumn temperatures comes flu season, and vaccines are once again on peoples’ minds. Last year’s H1N1 pandemic served as a disquieting rem ...
read moreAugust 2010Accountable Care Organizations At-a-Glance
A lot has been said lately regarding the success of the U.S. healthcare system, and, in particular, the bang Americans get for their healthcare buck. Many experts, policymakers and others believe we could d ...
read moreJuly 2010Post-Acute and Long-Term Care: Key Federal Healthcare Reform Provisions
The initial media storm surrounding the recently passed federal healthcare reform bills focused, to a large extent, on the individual mandate to purchase insurance and other consumer implications. More rece ...
read moreMay 2010Buying Green: How Purchasing Programs Can Help Heal the Planet
Each year, often coinciding with Earth Day on April 22, many individuals and businesses take a renewed look at how their daily lives and business practices are affecting the environment. When the impact of ...
read moreApril 2010Going Green: Start-Up Steps to a Sustainability Initiative
From simply remembering to grab reusable bags before heading to the store to as complex as constructing eco-friendly buildings, consumers and employers are increasingly considering the impact their choices ...
read moreMarch 2010Health 2.0: How Social Media are Transforming Healthcare
As the quantity of information accessible on the Web has grown, the public has increasingly turned to the Internet to find answers to health-related questions. A recent survey found that 61 percent of Ameri ...
read moreJanuary 2010Art versus Science: The Complexities of Evidence-Based Medicine
Hospitals and other healthcare providers strive to provide patients with the highest quality of care. As the practice of medicine has evolved, innovations and technological advances have allowed the profess ...
read moreDecember 2009What’s Behind Geographic Variations in Healthcare Spending?
Concerns about rising healthcare spending have dominated healthcare reform conversations in the United States. Policymakers have been seeking explanations and solutions to reign in ever-rising healthcare sp ...
read moreOctober 2009The Strengths & Shortcomings of Government-Administered Health Insurance Programs
As healthcare reform conversations continue on Capitol Hill, the tone and energy associated with them have escalated. While most agree the current system is flawed, there are widely differing opinions on ho ...
read moreSeptember 2009Hospital Trustees Navigate An Evolving Healthcare Environment
Organizations across the country have been working to improve their governance practices. As a result, trustees have become increasingly aware of their importance in the effective management of the institu ...
read moreJuly 2009Some Surprises Can Be Found in the Effects of the Recession
The nationwide recession has sparked new habits for many of us, from paying more attention to prices at the grocery store to cutting back on non-essentials. And it seems that behaviors related to healthcare ...
read moreMay 2009Creating a Workplace Wellness Program That Works
Workplace wellness programs have been gaining in popularity in recent years, and it’s not hard to understand why. An investment in a wellness program can pay off in lower health insurance costs over the lo ...
read moreApril 2009Healthier Employees = Healthier Bottom Lines: Why Worksite Wellness Programs Are Gaining Popularity
Research has shown that seven out of every 10 deaths in the United States today are attributable to largely preventable chronic illnesses such as heart disease. In fact, they account for 75 percent of Ameri ...
read moreFebruary 2009Stormy Waters: The Effects of the Economic Downturn on Hospitals
One might think economic slowdowns have little effect on hospitals. After all, the economy has no bearing on whether people get sick, right? But in truth, economic trends have a significant impact on hospit ...
read moreJanuary 2009Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down and Everything in Between: The Healthcare Year in Review
Many exciting healthcare developments have arisen in the last year that might have been eclipsed by the historic election and drastic downturn in the economy. While not all has been cause to rejoice, this s ...
read moreNovember 2008Key Issues to Consider When Evaluating Healthcare Reform Model
Part 3: Quality
Quality is one of the buzzwords in healthcare today. With healthcare spending on the rise, everyone from consumers to payers to employers wants more information about the return they ar ...
read moreOctober 2008Key Issues to Consider When Evaluating Healthcare Reform Model
Part 2: Cost
A day rarely passes without newspaper headlines bemoaning the fact that a growing portion of family, corporate and government budgets is being directed at healthcare. The development of ne ...
read moreSeptember 2008Key Issues to Consider When Evaluating Healthcare Reform Models
Part 1: Access
Recent estimates show that both the percentage and the number of people without health insurance remain high. A staggering 45.7 million people in the United States are uninsured, includi ...
read moreJuly 2008An Increasingly Complex Healthcare Field Demands the Best Leadership
In recent years, Congressional committees have been calling for increased scrutiny of the nonprofit sector, and nonprofit hospitals in particular, citing the importance of keeping up with the rapidly changi ...
read moreMarch 2008Treating Behavioral Health Illness in a Patchwork System
More than 20 percent of Americans aged 18 and over live with a diagnosable mental illness. Complicating treatment for these individuals is the fact that up to 50 percent of the mentally ill population also ...
read moreFebruary 2008Preparing for An Emergency: Northeast Ohio Builds a Collaborative Approach
Since 9/11, the issue of emergency preparedness has been near the forefront of politicians’ minds and in the public eye. That day brought the realization that the response systems in place at the time could ...
read moreDecember 2007A Healthcare Holiday Wish List
With healthcare topping voters' list of concerns heading into the primaries, news article after news article lamenting the problems with the current state of healthcare, and analysts continuing to offer dir ...
read moreAugust 2007State Budget a Dose of the Right Medicine
With the recently signed biennial state budget, Ohio has made significant progress in expanding access to care for vulnerable populations and protecting hospitals and other health care entities that provide ...
read moreJuly 2007America's Healthcare System: Under Strain and Under Scrutiny
It’s no secret that the American healthcare system is under strain. The 2008 presidential candidates are talking out it. Polls show the American public thinks the system needs change. The topic has even fou ...
read moreApril 2007Healthcare: The Heartbeat of Northeast Ohio
The economy is evolving in Northeast Ohio. Healthcare has become an increasingly larger source of economic activity, generating billions of dollars, employing thousands, and creating jobs even for those not ...
read moreMarch 2007The Importance of Reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
This edition is on SCHIP, which is in its 10th year of providing health coverage for children in low-income families in Ohio and nationwide. SCHIP is credited with dramatically reducing the number of childr ...
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