Becker's Hospital Review

77 FINANCE CMO / CARE DELIVERY Study: Lean Primary Care Model Increased Physician Productivity By 5% By Kelly Gooch I mplementation of a Lean primary care model can lead to decreased operating costs, as well as better physician productivity and patient satis- faction, according to a study published in American Journal of Managed Care. For the study, researchers examined Lean-based redesigns for primary care clinics in a nonprofit, ambulatory care delivery system. ey specifically looked at Lean-based redesigns across 46 primary care departments in nearly 20 clinic locations. Aer implementation of Lean redesigns, healthcare facilities saw a 5 percent increase in monthly pro- ductivity per physician. Researchers used work-rel- ative value units — a measure CMS uses to cal- culate physicians' Medicare reimbursement — to gauge productivity. Healthcare facilities also saw overall patient satis- faction rise from 49.1 percent to 63.2 percent aer implementation. Specifically, healthcare facilities saw a nearly 8 percent increase in patient satis- faction regarding the handling of personal issues about safety, privacy and exam room cleanliness, according to the study. Healthcare facilities also saw a nearly 50 percent increase in patient percep- tions of access to care via appointments, phone calls, online messages and referrals. However, the study notes healthcare facilities saw a nearly 12 percent decrease in patient satisfaction regarding interactions with care providers. Researchers said they found total operating ex- penses were lowered per department following implementation of Lean redesigns, but note the re- ductions weren't statistically significant. "Lean redesigns can benefit primary care patients, physicians and staff without negatively impacting the quality of clinical care," the study's authors concluded. "Study results may lead other delivery system leaders to innovate using Lean techniques and may further enhance support for Lean learn- ing among public and private payers." n WHO Launches International Effort to Reduce Medication Errors By Brian Zimmerman T he World Health Organization on March 29 launched the Global Pa- tient Safety Challenge on Medica- tion Safety — an international effort aimed at reducing harmful medication errors around the globe by 50 percent in the next five years. The new initiative aims to address sys- temic weaknesses in health organizations that contribute to preventable medication errors. While medication errors can occur for multiple reasons, including provider fatigue and miscommunication, the WHO contends most errors stem from systems failures regarding the organization of care. For the challenge, the WHO is calling on nations around the world to take action to address the improper use of high-risk medicines, manage patients who take mul- tiple medications for different illnesses and monitor medication administration among patients undergoing care transitions. The WHO plans to provide guidance, strate- gies and tools to ensure patient safety is at the center of prescribing, dispensing and monitoring patient medications. "We all expect to be helped, not harmed, when we take medication," said Dr. Mar- garet Chan, WHO director-general. "Apart from the human cost, medication errors place an enormous and unnecessary strain on health budgets. Preventing errors saves money and saves lives." In the United States, medication errors kill at least one person every day and harm approximately 1.3 million people annual- ly, resulting in an estimated $42 billion in costs, according to the WHO. The initiative marks the third time the WHO has launched a global patient safety chal- lenge. Previously, the international health organization conducted the Clean Care is Safe Care challenge on hand hygiene in 2005 and the Safe Surgery Saves Lives challenge in 2008. n 10 Best and Worst States for Physicians By Ayla Ellison M ost of the worst states for physi- cians are in the Northeast, according to an analysis by WalletHub. To identify the best and worst states for physicians, WalletHub analysts com- pared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 14 metrics, such as aver- age annual wage of physi- cians, physicians per capita and insured population rate. Here are the 10 best states for physicians, based on the analysis. 1. Iowa 2. Minnesota 3. Idaho 4. Wisconsin 5. Kansas 6. South Dakota 7. Montana 8. Mississippi 9. Alabama 10. Tennessee Here are the 10 worst states for physicians. 1. New York 2. District of Columbia 3. New Jersey 4. Maryland 5. Rhode Island 6. Massachusetts 7. Connecticut 8. Maine 9. Hawaii 10. Delaware n

• Cover
• _GoBack