Tuesday, November 20th, 2012
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and among all of the traditional family problems families across the country tend to experience this time of year, families of psychiatrists have the added complication of not knowing when one member of their dinner party will be called away to deal with a patient.
Many psychiatrists initially went into a private practice because helping others live better lives was important, but too often their own lives end up suffering. Psychiatrists have an ethical obligation to be available for patient crises and emergencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. For the most part, this is an obligation many would take on voluntarily out of a deep desire to see their patients succeed. However, being pulled away from the dinner table year after year just as you’re about to cut the turkey can be taxing on your own emotions, as well as those of your family.
It’s well known that the holiday season can be a difficult time for many with mental disorders, and these patients might feel the need to rely on their trusted psychiatrists even more. Unfortunately, this means some psychiatrists never get to experience a real holiday – undisturbed by their practice. Getting a colleague to provide holiday coverage for your patients is usually out of the question.
If it’s time to have a real day off, a day to spend with just your family, a day where you’re able to turn off your phone guilt free, a day when you know your patients are being cared for, let PsychCoverage know. We’re here to help. We know the importance of staying fresh for your patients, the need to have some quality time off, the real danger of burnout, and we want to keep you passionate about your psychiatric practice.
We’re offering a special discount to all new psychiatrists who sign up for PsychCoverage’s services this holiday season. We’ll waive the holiday fee when you subscribe to patient coverage over the holiday weekend. Your patients will be cared for by expertly trained RNs, you’ll get a full report on any interactions we have with your patients, you’ll be able to sit down to a warm Thanksgiving meal and your family will finally have a quality holiday with you. Give us a call today.
Wednesday, November 7th, 2012
Back in August the National Quality Forum awarded Mountain States Healthcare Alliance, based in Tennessee, the 2012 National Quality Healthcare Award for the system’s multiple quality-focused goals. The National Quality Forum wanted to recognize the level of quality patient care the healthcare system has provided, which has a commitment to patient-centered care.
Patient-centered healthcare is certainly what the future looks like, and Mountain States Healthcare Alliance has drafted their “10 principles of patient-centered care,” which were published so other healthcare systems may learn from their successes. These principles include the idea that all team members are considered caregivers, care reflects patient needs and values, information is freely shared between patients and their partners and other caregivers, a patient’s family and friends are part of the care team, patient safety and transparency is the rule, and all caregivers cooperate and focus on the best interests of the patient. Find out more about these quality patient care principles here.
With these guiding principles so clearly outlined, other healthcare systems are soon to discover the benefits to patients and the healthcare system alike. Keeping patient care at the front of everyone’s mind and encouraging all staff – from janitors to executives – to work together to help patients will make any healthcare system more efficient and more effective. Healthcare systems following these guidelines won’t just win awards – they’ll see a happier community and a better run system.
As Mountain States Healthcare Alliance principles state, they’re working hard to “bring patient-centered care from an abstract philosophy to a concrete practice.” Many people still have a choice when it comes to their healthcare needs and patients are more likely to choose a system that puts their needs first. Similarly, finding qualified doctors and physicians to care for those patients won’t be so difficult when they know these patient-centered guiding principles are in place.
Thursday, November 1st, 2012
Medicision has released a study that says the vast majority – 78% – of health plans are already participating in or are preparing to participate in an ACO, or accountable care organization. The rest said they are planning to participate in the future.
The parameters of the healthcare industry are rapidly changing, as this study shows, and changing towards better patient care and better resource management, especially for larger organizations.
“While health plans have been preparing for a changing marketplace for a few years, the pace and clarity of their plans are ramping, and their technology needs are expanding,” said Ellen Donahue-Dalton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Medecision.
Cost obviously plays a large factor in all types of health care, but patient-centered care is increasingly becoming a top priority for executives. Along with the growing prevalence of ACO healthcare models, patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) are also on the rise. These emerging healthcare delivery models have the potential to change the field as we know it and the change is happening quickly.
