Continuing a year-long strategy, Evertree Hospital has eliminated its pastoral care due to lack of Return on Investment, or ROI. Used in many industries as a tool to measure the relative value of a program or initiative (high ROI is desired), the financial instrument is now being applied more frequently throughout the healthcare industry. The move follows other cuts citing the same lack of ROI at the hospital, including the shuttering of the organization’s web site, elimination of the marketing department, and demolition of the parking ramp.

“Look, times are tough, and if you can’t prove the positive financial impact on this organization, then it’s time to go,” said Evertree Chief Financial Officer Al Dunlap. “Hey, even God needs to show an ROI.” Read the full story »

The couple who made hospital and health system advertising familiar to so many across America is calling it a day. Steve Madson, 74, and his wife, Sherry, 73, are the famous couple seen in so many hospital advertisements riding a tandem bike. They have graced billboards and newspaper ads in the healthcare world for more than three decades, but have decided to hang up the bike and retire.

“Good thing we weren’t actually riding all those times the picture was used,” joked Steve, a former barber. “We would have put a million miles on that bike!”

Steve and Sherry’s introduction into healthcare advertising began in 1973, when Steve’s brother, Brian, snapped a shot of the couple riding a tandem bike through Hyde Park in New York. Brian happened to work at a nearby hospital and brought the picture into work the following day, showing it around the department. Read the full story »

Passed in 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accounting Act (HIPAA) was designed to protect insurance coverage for patients and provide a standard of privacy regarding the transfer of health information by providers, insurance plans and others. The law has been expanded over the years, and now Congressman Max Weber, Minnesota, has introduced new legislation making direct eye contact with patients by healthcare workers a violation of HIPAA.

“If you look directly at a patient, you may come to know them, know them personally,” said Weber during his 73-minute speech on the floor of the House of Representatives last Tuesday. “Where I come from, direct eye contact is awfully forward. It’s an invasion of privacy.” Read the full story »

As further evidence of belt-tightening at hospitals across the U.S., many are considering the increasingly popular position of SVP of marketing/patient safety/facilities. The position typically combines the creativity of marketers, the scientific measurement acumen of patient safety experts, and the HVAC experience of facilities managers. By finding one executive with all of these skill sets, hospitals can reduce salary costs significantly in the c-suite.

The new combo position is gaining in popularity across the country, with more than a dozen major hospitals and systems advertising in the leading industry publication, Hospital Job Mashup. Industry trend watcher and three-time Tony award winner runner-up Chris Kendall says the move toward the combo position is likely here to stay. Read the full story »

What’s the latest idea floating around Capitol Hill regarding healthcare reform? My inside sources say momentum is building for a complete overhaul of Medicare reimbursement policy. Building on the logic of fee-for-service, movers and shakers are considering a new twist: payment based on physician height.

The current system creates misaligned incentives, inflating healthcare costs without improving the health of America. But paying by the inch, now there’s a common sense approach. Clearly, the taller the doctor, the more efficient the care – that’s been known for years. So why not go ahead and make the change, if it’s so obvious? Like anything else, moving such legislation through Congress will take time, and all interested parties will want to be heard from. The North American Short Anesthesiologist League (NASAL) will surely weigh in, as will The Measuring Tape Union, Lifts Across America, and Physicians for Top Hats. Buckle yourself in, we’re in for a bumpy ride. Read the full story »