• How to Make Productivity Gains Possible and Profitable

    Staff cuts are not always the answer.

  • Healthcare Reform: Putting the Puzzle Together

    Proactive hospitals need to prepare for the future – today.

  • Fix Inefficient Departments Before Reform Tests Your Capacity

    Fix inefficient departments now — a sensible approach as reform inches forward.

  • Changing Attitudes: The Key to Achieving Hospital Productivity Gains

    In today’s hospitals, it’s not uncommon to encounter defensiveness from inpatient unit managers who miss their productivity targets.

  • Guide to CMS Compliance

    by Compass Clinical Consulting Accreditation Expert Ruth Elzer featured in Journal of Healthcare Management

Low-Cost, High-Quality Healthcare Can Be a Reality

Low-Cost, High-Quality Healthcare Can Be a Reality

with Smart Workforce Planning
Apr 01, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
Is Healthcare Reform Good News for Hospitals?

Is Healthcare Reform Good News for Hospitals?

Fox Business News anchor Dagen McDowell interviews Compass Clinical CEO Kate Fenner.
Mar 23, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
Helping Your Board Ensure Patient Safety

Helping Your Board Ensure Patient Safety

Your quality team has studied the new standard changes, updated policies, and conducted tracers to monitor compliance. What else can you do as an executive
Feb 05, 2010 | 1 comment | View Post
The CMS Acute Care Episode Demonstration

The CMS Acute Care Episode Demonstration

Will the new CMS Acute Care Episode Demonstration Project address the patient’s concern that their interests are being subordinated to the physician’s or the hospital’s
Jan 31, 2010 | 1 comment | View Post

  • Other Recent Articles

  • How Easily Overtime and Premium Pay Drive Healthcare Costs Up

    How Easily Overtime and Premium Pay Drive Healthcare Costs Up

    Labor Productivity Consultant for Compass Clinical Consulting: Paying overtime to employees can never be cheaper or save the hospital money than having staff deployed according to: Right person, Right role, Right Time, Right place (R4).

    Sep 03, 2009 | 1 comment | View Post

  • Turning Conflict into a Positive Force

    Turning Conflict into a Positive Force

    Cary Gutbezahl, MD, president of Compass Clinical Consulting, recently wrote an article published in Hospitals & Health Networks magazine on turning conflict into a positive force to create better American hospitals.

    Mar 12, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

  • How would Dr. King have influenced healthcare reform debate?

    How would Dr. King have influenced healthcare reform debate?

    It is difficult to guess the position of such a leader and revered figure but it takes little insight to predict his position: one of concern for the 44 million Americans who go without health insurance.

    Jan 15, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

  • What Is a Hospital Near-Death Experience?

    What Is a Hospital Near-Death Experience?

    Can a hospital have a near-death experience? If so, what would that look like?

    Nov 02, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

  • Health Care Reform and The Elephant in the Room

    Health Care Reform and The Elephant in the Room

    There is an elephant in the room that is not being discussed – personal responsibility for health. For years, studies have shown that up to 70% of disease is influenced by …

    Oct 25, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

  • Sitting Ducks Get Shot … Especially While Waiting for the Inevitability of Healthcare Reform

    Sitting Ducks Get Shot … Especially While Waiting for the Inevitability of Healthcare Reform

    By Kate Fenner, RN, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, Compass Clinical Consulting.

    Oct 15, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

  • How Could This Happen?

    How Could This Happen?

    By Cary D. Gutbezahl, MD, President, Compass Clinical Consulting. Although many factors may contribute to an avoidable injury, investigations often reveal that the policy and procedures were in place, the staff was trained on and understood the policy and procedures, staffing was adequate to do the work, but people didn’t follow the policy.

    Oct 09, 2009 | 1 comment | View Post

  • Why Do Some Hospitals Tolerate Poor Performance?

    Why Do Some Hospitals Tolerate Poor Performance?

    By Cary Gutbezahl, MD, President, Compass Clinical Consulting: Our experience says that while hospitals sometimes overlook indications of problems, more often, CEOs and boards tolerate a series of ineffective attempts at fixing the problem.

    Sep 11, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

  • Hospitals Facing Three Changes from Healthcare Reform

    Hospitals Facing Three Changes from Healthcare Reform

    It’s difficult to predict the specifics of what health care reform will bring, but it is clear that it won’t be business as usual. We believe that three things will be certain results of the current public debate. First, reimbursement changes are going to increase the importance of managing the cost of delivering services. Second, coordinating care will become more important. Third, increased accountability for patient safety and treatment plans consistent with best practices and evidence-based medicine will require cultural change.

    Aug 28, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

  • Hospital Readmissions: Federal Policy Must Stop Interfering with System Thinking

    Hospital Readmissions: Federal Policy Must Stop Interfering with System Thinking

    In our experience in case management, both in hospitals and in managed care organizations, we have found many reasons why patients are readmitted to hospitals.

    Aug 27, 2009 | 1 comment | View Post

  • The Ill Effects of Shutting off Constructive Healthcare Reform Debate: First, Do No Harm

    The Ill Effects of Shutting off Constructive Healthcare Reform Debate: First, Do No Harm

    The Reconciliation Process can do nothing but shut off oppositional thinking before the best possible healthcare reform is designed and implemented. Cognitive conflict can yield stronger programs that assure hospitals and doctors are in a position to provide quality care for patients. I hope they don’t repeal “First, do no harm”.

    Aug 21, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

  • A Cure for ER Diversions

    A Cure for ER Diversions

    Diversions are when ambulances are sent to another ER because the nearest ER is too busy and does not believe they can safely provide care. I thought it might be useful to understand that the hospital goes on diversion because it has determined that patient safety might be at risk if more critical patients were added to those already at the hospital. Adding more work beyond the capacity of the ER not only jeopardizes the new patient but puts all the other patients at risk.

    Aug 17, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

  • Hospital Leaders -- Cut Waste Out Before Regulatory Reform Hurts

    Hospital Leaders — Cut Waste Out Before Regulatory Reform Hurts

    By Kate Fenner, RN, PhD: The smart leaders understand that regardless of how healthcare reform looks when it becomes law, the real truth is that we’ll all be getting less. Knowing this is the end-point gives us all the freedom to take action now.

    Aug 07, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

  • Is Healthcare Reform On the Wrong Track?

    Is Healthcare Reform On the Wrong Track?

    What everyone wants, in the end, is healthcare reform that accomplishes the goals of wider access and lower cost. But there are many different tracks to achieve this needed goals. But when “reducing the cost of healthcare” by mandating lower fees to providers, this should be more carefully analyzed to prevent a future of continuous change. Best [...]

    Jul 23, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

  • Social Media Being Taught at More Medical and Nursing Schools

    Social Media Being Taught at More Medical and Nursing Schools

    53% of nursing schools and 45% of medical schools include Web 2.0 tools in their curricula. 58% of nursing schools plan to implement social networking tools in their curricula in the upcoming year, compared with 50% of medical schools.

    Jul 15, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

  • A Different Approach for Infection Control from Sick Employees

    A Different Approach for Infection Control from Sick Employees

    Hospitals coming under threat of Immediate Jeopardy for allowing employees with infectious illness to stay at work in the hospital. Amanda Brown suggests there is a safer way to prevent spread of infections that will have a long term ROI.

    Jul 15, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

  • Resignation Without Notice Leads to Process Discovery

    Resignation Without Notice Leads to Process Discovery

    On the Lean Blog, Jesus “Chuy” Ellin, HT PA andPeter P Patterson, MD MBA noted that the histopathology laboratory at their hospital recently had a breakthrough in the lean journey begun in 2007. The monthly defect rate in the order entry process has fallen precipitously from 33.5% to 2.5% over the past five months, after [...]

    Jun 30, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

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