Healthcare

Dr. Christopher Duntsch, colloquially known as “Dr. Death,” botched operations on nearly three dozen people. These adverse events resulted in the deaths of two patients before criminal proceedings finally put an end to his power. With such poor outcomes, why was Duntsch allowed to operate on so many patients before intervention came?

Many health systems have improved their performance by focusing on what is called the “Triple Aim.” These include three dimensions:

During the pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services expanded access to telehealth. In early 2022, that expansion is set to become permanent. While increased access to telehealth opens opportunities for reaching more patients, it also poses additional challenges for long-term hiring practices.

In September 2021, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its latest crackdown on healthcare fraud.

The last two years introduced more changes and challenges to healthcare organizations than ever before. The pandemic tested healthcare employees, who worked to the point of burnout to save lives, and highlighted severe inequities in the quality of and access to care for historically disadvantaged groups. Add to that the explosive growth of telehealth, which is reinventing healthcare delivery.

Happy New Year! 

Staff burnout in 2021 has reached crisis levels, threatening the health of organizations, providers, and patients across the country. Since the start of the pandemic, between 60 percent and 75 percent of clinicians have reported conditions that include exhaustion, depression, sleep disorders, and anxiety, according to Dr. Victor Dzau, President of the National Academy of Medicine, at a November webinar hosted by U.S. News & World Report.

The use of telehealth peaked in 2020 during the shutdown. It has since settled down but remains a popular option, as research demonstrates that telehealth usage today is 38 times higher than it was before the pandemic. That could have a big impact on the future of healthcare.

The COVID pandemic disrupted healthcare as we knew it. But healthcare systems are taking advantage of the pandemic-driven upheaval to accelerate changes to the way they work. According to a report from Deloitte, only 9% of healthcare employees indicated that employers were innovating new ways of working before COVID-19, compared with 78% since the pandemic began.

More than 500 healthcare cybersecurity breaches were reported in the past year and have affected more than 5 million patients, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.