Many experts have predicted that the new iPad from Apple will radically change the delivery of healthcare. In one of the first examples that the future is here today, technology company Bodily Software has announced iStream, an app for the iPad that takes advantage of the new product’s large touch screen to offer a real-time urinalysis.

“The technology is amazing, and easy to use,” says spokesperson Peter Flow. “Thanks to our exclusive P2Pad™ technology, patients just urinate on the iPad screen, then the software analyzes the sample and sends results directly to the physician. Use it at home, at work, at the park. Wherever your iPad can go, iStream goes with you.” Read the full story »

In a follow-up to last year’s groundbreaking study that uncovered the stunning truth that hospitals are actually businesses, WiseBucks magazine issued a follow-up report showing that to remain open, hospitals have to attract patients to receive care. The follow-up report is timely, given new legislation announced in Vermont that seeks to ban hospitals from spending money on marketing and advertising.

“Like the legislator in Vermont, we were flabbergasted that hospitals actually have to attract patients with marketing and advertising,” said WiseBucks editor Joe Duhh. “That’s how regular businesses operate, sure. But hospitals? That would be like saying politicians have to spend money to get elected – doesn’t it just happen?”
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Waynesville Health was shocked at a sudden surge in web traffic and social media mentions after the launch of their latest patient testimonial campaign titled: “That’s What She Said.”

Waynesville Health director of marketing, Garth Sanders, remarked, “We know for a fact that reaching women is critical to the success of almost any healthcare marketing campaign. They wear the pants, so to speak, when it comes to making healthcare decisions. We needed a campaign that not only spoke to women, but was spoken by women. After a month of brainstorming we came up with ‘That’s what she said,’ a campaign that focuses on testimonials from women who’ve experienced the compassionate care of our hospital and clinics.” Read the full story »

Transparency is one of the hottest trends in healthcare right now. At Neptune Hospital, they’ve fully embraced transparency with a new advertising campaign titled “We’re really trying.” (See sample ad after story.) The 330-bed hospital has suffered from more than two decades of poor clinical care, awful customer service and horrible mismanagement. In 2002, an orthopedic surgeon performed knee joint replacement surgery on a patient’s shoulder. (The same error was repeated in 2004 and again in 2005 before the surgeon retired.) In 2006, the hospital opened a $20 million medical spa called “Facetastic” on land behind the hospital. Unfortunately, the land covered a deteriorating portion of the city’s sewer system, and the facility was closed and condemned one year later. The system constantly ranks in the lower percentiles of quality, safety and customer service in national studies. Obviously, it was time for a change. Read the full story »

For the first time in 20 years, the hospital message “we care” has been usurped as most valued message from a hospital. The new champ? “Our physicians are board certified.” That’s according to the annual consumer survey conducted by the Center for Research About People. Each year, it randomly polls 10,000 adults between the ages of 37 and 38 in the U.S., and asks them the following question: “Which message is most likely to get you to abandon the physician you’ve seen for years, drive 100 miles out of your way, or otherwise choose a hospital service you ordinarily would never consider?” Read the full story »

In a stunning sixteen-part series set to release today, the business magazine WiseBucks will reveal that hospitals are, in fact, businesses. The report follows an article in Smart Money magazine, “10 Things Hospital CEOs Won’t Tell You,” which took a fair and balanced look at how hospitals operate.

“Once we dug into this, we couldn’t believe what we uncovered,” said WiseBucks editor Joe Duhh. “Hospitals – believe it or not – are actually run like businesses. We were floored.” Read the full story »

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 »

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 »