| Neighborhood Leaders in Change |
HopeWest
By: Stephanie Spriggs
Grant Writer and Report Specialist, CIVHC
Death is a taboo topic in America. In many cases, the reticence to discuss end-of-life concerns extends to serious diagnoses, such as cancer, which may not be terminal. Avoiding these conversations does a disservice to both the patient and family members. HopeWest helps Coloradans on the Western Slope face these challenging situations with grace..
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 Competing Insurers Collaborate for Behavioral Health
By Marty Stempniak, Hospitals and Health Networks, August 2015
Six health insurers are setting aside competitive differences and teaming up to make sure patients with behavioral problems don't slip through the cracks. A confluence of mental health issues in Colorado, including a high suicide rate, an upswing in marijuana-related hospitalization, and rural barriers to care, set the stage for the collaboration.
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 CMS Releases First Round of Home Health Compare Quality of Patient Care Star Ratings
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the first star ratings for Home Health Agencies on Home Health Compare. Star ratings can help consumers identify differences in quality and use the information to a health care provider; star ratings can also help agencies identify areas for improvement.
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Half of Nation's Hospitals Fail Again to Escape Medicare's Readmission Penalties
By Jordan Rau, Kaiser Health News, August 2015
The majority of the nation's hospitals are being penalized by Medicare for their 30-day readmission rates. In the fourth year of federal readmission penalties, 2,592 hospitals will receive lower payments for every Medicare patient that stays in the hospital - readmitted or not - starting in October.
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Cross-Continuum Collaboration in Health Care: Unleashing the Potential
By Saranya Loehrer, Douglas McCarthy, Eric A. Coleman, and for the Cross-Continuum Study Panel
As value-based payment in health care increasingly takes hold, many provider organizations are seeking to promote better health not just for individual patients but for entire populations. Such population-based health activities require collaboration among acute, post-acute, and community care providers.
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Editorial: Hospital Admission Policy in Dismaland
By Merrill Goozner, August 2015
Over the several years that the CMS and hospitals have been tussling over the reasons behind the steady rise in short-term observation stays, no one until now has suggested the increase represents a deliberate effort by hospitals to avoid Medicare's 30-day readmission penalties.
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Be our Expert: Passionate about care transitions? Implementing innovative interventions? Share the work you're doing by writing a blog for our From the Experts section in the newsletter! Let others know what you've been doing and what kind of success you've had improving transitions of care. Please contact us for more information.
Share your stories: Sharing stories can lead to positive change. Tell us about your experience as a provider, patient or caregiver and inspire others to make changes and help find new ways to improve care across Colorado. Submit stories here for inclusion on the HTC site.
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