For those facing chronic disease, staying out of the hospital can be a big challenge. It’s uncomfortable for patients and a significant cost within our health system. Thankfully, several hospitals and health systems are finding creative solutions to address the issue. This past weekend, the Associated Press reported on these efforts in a story that appeared in news outlets across the country. A couple excerpts: Hospital readmissions are miserable for patients, and a huge cost … Read More
There’s some interesting news in a healthcare improvement report issued today. Here’s a link to details of that report. It was issued by the Oregon Health Care Quality Corporation and the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems. In short, OHSU Hospital and 13 other Oregon Hospitals were successful in achieving several significant hospital quality and safety measures including a reduction in readmissions, reduced crowding in the emergency room, and improved language services for patients. One area … Read More
It’s likely that hundreds, if not thousands of OHSU employees were focused on the TV at 7 a.m. this morning to learn the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act. (Authors note: I was one of many who first heard the incorrect news from CNN, which was later corrected by the news network. Sheesh.) OHSU response from our press statement: Today’s ruling directly impacts OHSU in that we will need to increase the number … Read More
It could be an interesting week next week as we are on the verge of hearing the Supreme Court’s decision on health care reform. For those watching from a distance, it’s believed that one of three things could happen: Possibility # 1 – The individual mandate is struck down but the rest of the law is upheld. (This is the requirement that all persons have a government-approved form of health insurance) Possibility # 2 – … Read More
What does last weeks’s Medicaid agreement mean to OHSU? Several reporters we spoke with asked us that very question. In one case, OHSU President Dr. Joe Robertson spoke at length on the issue. Here he is on KXL Radio:
Yesterday I shared OHSU’s reaction to this major news headline: Today, OHSU was proud to join Governor Kitzhaber, legislators, health systems and others to discuss the achievement and answer questions from the press. A few comments from OHSU President Dr. Joe Robertson in this Portland Business Journal article: “This is a seminal plan: Oregon was the birthplace of health reform in the mid-1980s,” said Dr. Joe Robertson, OHSU’s president. “Now, … Read More
