Kristi Antonick’s Post

This story in "D Magazine: Healthcare" is basically neutral on the fact that three of the top five most-profitable health systems are in the Dallas area. But the real headline should be that health systems continue to rake in the money, much of that for egregious collection practices and inflated charges, among other things. Self-insured employers and their patients continue to "feed the beasts" by allowing routine, scheduled, planned, and elective procedures to be done in these settings. Instead, these kinds of procedures can generally be done at independent surgical facilities with independent physician practices. The costs are significantly lower, and oh, by the way, the the quality is usually considerably higher. #SurgicalBundles #SurgeryBundles #FreeStandingASCs #IndependentPhysicians #PriceTransparency #DontFeedTheBeast

Who is responsible for fixing healthcare? This week I read two as always thought-provoking posts by Zeev Neuwirth, MD about collapsing primary care: https://lnkd.in/g9uycf7m and https://lnkd.in/gXfuthfQ. The only thing I would add to these posts is that what he was writing about primary care could be extrapolated to the entire healthcare delivery system. There is an interesting quote by an author I don't know. I paraphrased it as I found that it perfectly reflects the current state of the field of healthcare improvement: "Philosophy is like being in a dark room and looking for a black cat". Addressing healthcare challenges intuitively or by brainstorming is like being in a dark room, looking for a black cat that isn't there, and periodically shouting "I found it!" "Science, to the contrary, is like being in a dark room looking for a cat while using a flashlight." The questions that I don’t know how to answer are: ·      Who is/will be INDIVIDUALLY responsible for this unacceptable status quo? Government, hospital and outpatient clinic CEOs, media for getting used to this, patients themselves for not raising their voices loud enough? ·      Who is INDIVIDUALLY responsible for not applying the widely-known, practically proven methods to alleviate ED overcrowding, nursing shortage, to increase access to primary care, etc.? ·      What needs to be done and by whom EXACTLY to reverse this trajectory of collapse? These questions are easily answered in practically any other industry or business, except probably for education. Until we answer these questions, our destiny is to keep complaining about WORSENING status quo and discussing what unspecified “we” should do to improve our ailed healthcare. #AARP #hospitalovercrowding #nurseburnout #physicianburnout #healthcare #nurseburnout #qualityofcare #healthcarestaffing #patientmortality #patientcare #healthcareleadership #changemanagement #nurse #hospital #hhs #cms #nhs #ministryofhealth #hospitalmanagement #patientsafety #emergencydepartment #nursestaffing #healthcarequality #cnn #msnbc #healthcarejournalism #journalism #investigativereporting #newyorktimes #washingtonpost

Uhhhh, if we simply used advanced primary care (DPC, On-site/near-site clinic, VPC) we would not need as many (PE backed) hospitalists staffing the Emergency Rooms. This should not be a difficult issue to resolve. #highperformance #healthcare https://lnkd.in/gkYkPQt8

Trent Bourland, this article reminded me of you. Check out this impactful article from Becker's explaining why hospital CEOs are nervous. If you're a #ruralhealthcare leader who has sleepless nights about the future of your hospital, definitely let me know. Rural hospital leaders feel like they're getting the short end of the stick when it comes to #Managedcare contracts and #medicareadvantage, along with other obstacles from #labor costs and an increase in employees who are not directly responsible for patient care. Although you may feel alone, just know that we're all in this together. #stayruralstrong #nevergoitalone

"..two types of statuses for hospital patients: “observational,” which generally requires a day or two in the hospital; and “inpatient,” which generally requires two or more overnight stays in the hospital. Right now, the patients that fall under the latter group are the only ones being admitted into CMS-sanctioned hospital-at-home programs." #healthcare #hospitalathome #homehealth #homecare

In senior living, skilled nursing, and even traditional hospital settings, a common challenge arises when patients, often with the best of intentions, decide to get out of bed and move around without clinician supervision. These moments can significantly impact recovery and increase the risk of injury, leading to extended hospital stays. In this video, Joe Zaccaria from Neteera discusses a crucial question: How can healthcare providers strike the right balance between early intervention and avoiding unnecessary alarms? At Neteera, we are committed to delivering actionable insights—not just more data. Whether it's monitoring changing vital signs or behavioral aspects like bed exits, our goal is to provide clinicians with timely, meaningful alerts that help them act early and decisively to improve patient care. Check out the video to hear more from Joe about how we are finding that "sweet spot" in patient monitoring. #HealthcareInnovation #PatientSafety #SmartMonitoring #SeniorCare #HealthTech #Neteera

If the legislature can be extended and enough use cases created to prove the concept so that all Medicare Beneficiaries have access to the "hospital-at-home" model beyond 2027, then not only will the cost of care tremendously decrease at hospitals, but it will provide significant solutions to overcrowded hospitals, increase reach and access to rural areas, decrease hospital readmissions, and improve patient's overall quality of life. Yes, there's still a lot to figure out, primarily the billing concepts, as this is not directly a traditional Medicare Part A Service; perhaps the MLTCs can pick up on this? As someone who had spent much time caring for an ailing family member in their final transition, I have seen tremendous benefits of this concept - primarily making their final time easier, kinder, and more humane - and it gave our family something that can never be taken for granted, seeing more smiles and peace on the family member's face when they were at home - rather than the agony, fear, contempt, and delirium when they were in the hospital. What do you think about the pros and cons of the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act? What needs to be improved/implemented for it to succeed? Is it a good idea or are we way off base and other models be our focus? #hospitalathome #medicare #medicareparta #aginghumanely #hr7053 #Inpatient #hospitalinpatientservicesmodernizationact #medicareadvantageplans #ruralhealthcare #ruralhospitals #ruralhospital #rpm #remotepatientmonitoring

Digging into the debate on healthcare pricing in Wisconsin: RAND's latest report ranks the state high in hospital prices and fees, but has come under criticism for its accuracy. #healthcare #pricetransparency #Wisconsin Read below to find out why those critics are wrong. https://lnkd.in/gA_8rYPg

You won't believe what I've witnessed firsthand in healthcare delivery. We, as front-line providers, handle over 90% of patient care at Stewart Hospitals. Unfortunately, the corporate focus on profit has caused immense suffering, impacting patients, caregivers, and entire communities. Have you seen similar issues in your industry? Ellen MacInnis, RN, a nurse at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Boston, MA, testified before the Senate HELP Committee during a hearing on the bankruptcy of Steward Health Care, addressing how management decisions have affected patient care. #HealthcareReform #PatientCare #FrontlineProviders #HealthcareEthics #MedicalProfessionals #HealthcareSystem #PatientSafety #CommunityHealth #CorporateHealthcare