How a Remote Nurse-First Triage Model Reduces Benefits Spend for Employers

For two large employers, one type of nurse advice line—a nurse-first remote triage model—reduces unnecessary emergency department and urgent care visits. It’s an approach that lowers healthcare costs for both employees and employers and helps minimize readmissions by offering patients clinical support when they need it, including after hours.

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The Exec: Technology in Patient Engagement is a Strategy, Not a Crutch

The chief experience officer’s role was once defined as one of service excellence, and the executive was responsible for ensuring that the healthcare organization was delivering top-notch service, according to standards established by the health system. But with the rise of patient-centered care, that role has shifted radically around to focus on the delivery of care and services that meet the patient’s expectations.

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ONC: Hospitals Need to Put SDOH Data to Use

More than 80% of hospitals recently surveyed by the American Hospital Association are collecting data on social determinants of health (SDOH), many through their EHR platform and health information exchanges. Yet only half of those hospitals are collecting data regularly.

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How to Improve Patient Safety

Patient safety includes medical errors that impact patients and “near misses” that could have reached patients. Patient safety has been a pressing issue in healthcare since 1999, with the publication of the landmark report To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System. York, Pennsylvania-based WellSpan Health reassessed the health system’s approach to patient safety in 2020.

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How Automation Can Improve the EHR Experience

Healthcare faces a crisis on multiple fronts when it comes to efficiency and staffing. According to a Kaufman Hall report, roughly half of hospitals ended 2022 with a negative margin, while more than 1.7 million people left healthcare jobs last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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