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Biomedical subjects

F J Volpe

Publications and source records attributed to F J Volpe.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

A positive experience with a consultant.

Consulting services would not be the multimillion industry they are if the results were not of value to those using them. Obviously, consulting pays off in some large percentage of cases. But it does not happen automatically, and the consultant used is less important in the process than the advance work that is done by the client in establishing the conditions under which the consultation will take place. In the following example, preplanning led to a result that was immensely satisfying to all involved.

Consultants↗
PubMed1995

A conversation on the future of health care.

An extensive amount has been written, reported, and spoken on health care reform. It is a time of turmoil and uncertainty in the health care field. There is a great deal of talk at the federal level on reform, but efforts there seem to be at least temporarily stymied. Much is happening at the local and regional level, however, as the health care field itself wrestles with the changes that have already occurred and with the promise of changes that lie ahead. In the following conversation between two fictional physician executives, one with many years experience, the other his junior, some of the issues surrounding health care reform are discussed. Although the specific environment for the conversation is managed care, most physician executives will find themselves somewhere in the conversation. let's eavesdrop as they speak, in the late summer of 1994.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
PubMed1995

The morass of managed care: has it a place for advanced practice nursing?

A brief history of the development and growth of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) is presented; their differences from traditional medical practice and insurance are addressed. Critical management needs for success are discussed. Other entities in managed care are noted, especially how they differ from HMOs. How advanced nursing has been included in HMOs is presented. Future opportunities in HMOs are addressed, emphasizing differences among models. Finally, roles for nurses, not necessarily advanced practice nurses (APNs) in its strict meaning, who also need additional training and experience to perform duties other than direct patient care, are mentioned.

Health Maintenance Organizations↗
PubMed1994

Continuity of care: some experiences and thoughts.

Continuity of health care is a goal to be achieved. Most are for it. Many claim to provide it. But how do we know we have it? What are the key features of continuity? While dictionaries do not define the phrase "continuity of health care," we do find definitions of "continuity." The Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, includes in its definitions: "the state or quality of being uninterrupted in sequence or succession, or in essence or idea; connectedness, coherence, unbroken..." Stedman's Medical Dictionary includes: "absence of interruption, a succession of parts intimately united..." These definitions stress an uninterrupted succession and include the concept that there needs to be a connection to the parts. Without that connection, continuity, in health care delivery or elsewhere, does not exist.

Continuity of Patient Care↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Utilization management key to HMO success.

Utilization management has a long history in prepaid health programs, especially in capitated, prepaid risk programs that were the precursors of HMOs. Utilization management is commonly considered to be that set of systems and procedures used to ensure that a patient's medical needs are met at the least cost possible consistent with adequate quality. Examples of measures taken in managing utilization include avoiding unnecessary surgery, unnecessary hospitalization, excessive hospitalization, and unnecessary diagnostic and therapeutic measures, and encouraging use of less expensive means of care, such as home health care services. Also included, and of great importance, is obtaining those services at the least possible cost through favorable contracting for services.

Cost Control↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Medicine, management, and me.

What is medical management? How do you learn about it? How do you get into it? Is there a future in it? Is medical management for you? Can you do it? What will it mean to your original plans for your life in medicine? Is it worth the sacrifice? Get comfortable. I have a story to tell you. It may help if you hear about medical management from a medical director who has preceded you. I doubt I can answer all your questions. I can, however, tell you about one physician's visions, expectations, decisions, experiences, and rewards from what can be loosely called "medical management." If you find something of help in your decision making in this account, my telling it is worthwhile.

Career Choice↗