Biomedical subjects

Jon M Thompson

Publications and source records attributed to Jon M Thompson.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Early effects of the prospective payment system on inpatient rehabilitation hospital performance.

OBJECTIVE: To assess changes in utilization and financial performance for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) that shifted from Medicare's cost-based payment system to the IRF prospective payment system (PPS). DESIGN: A pre-post nonequivalent comparison group design. The intervention group included IRFs that changed to the PPS in fiscal year 2002. The comparison group included IRFs that were paid under the cost-based system. SETTING: IRFs in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: Final sample included 120 IRFs, with 26 IRFs in the comparison sample. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome measures included utilization (length of stay [LOS], total discharges, Medicare discharges) and financial performance (revenue, expenses, profitability, Medicare payment and cost). RESULTS: PPS IRFs experienced a smaller decline in LOS, whereas Medicare cost per discharge increased at a lower rate. PPS IRFs reduced operating costs per discharge, whereas profit margin had a greater increase. CONCLUSIONS: IRFs under PPS implemented cost controls that lead to lower operating costs below the fixed payment to profit under PPS. Discharge growth for PPS IRFs was similar to the comparison group. PPS facilities did not implement a strategy that attempted to admit more patients to increase Medicare payments.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗

PubMed2006

Fundamentals of service lines and the necessity of physician leaders.

In the demanding and unpredictable environment of the health care industry, hospitals and health systems continue to search for ways to improve the efficiency and quality of care provision and, thus, thrive. Service line organization in health care, a concept that was popularized in the past, has recently experienced a resurgence, spanning the gamut from small community hospitals to large academic medical centers. The modern service line has transformed into an organizational tool that provides hospitals and health systems with a novel approach to achieve the goals of efficient and effective care. Physician leaders can play an integral role in the management of service lines, using a combination of management skills and clinical expertise to provide the oversight and direction necessary for assuring excellence in clinical care and value in its delivery. This article presents an overview of service line structure, implementation, implications, and the role of the physician-leader.

Humans↗

PubMed2005

Operational and financial performance of publicly traded hospice companies.

BACKGROUND: The performance of hospices owned by investor-owned, publicly traded hospice companies has been largely ignored by the literature. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to perform a descriptive analysis that compares the operating and financial performance of hospices owned by publicly traded companies to private, for-profit hospices and to nonprofit hospices within small- and large-size categories based on patient days. DESIGN: A nonparametric median test was conducted using comparisons of median values for each measure between comparison ownership groups within the small and large size categories. SETTING: Financial and operational data for the three ownership groups included in our sample were obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Cost Report Data over a 3-year period with the most recent fiscal year ending between September 30, 2002 and September 29, 2003. MEASUREMENT: We measured the operational and financial performance of hospices in three areas: utilization, services, and financial performance. RESULTS: Small hospices owned by publicly traded companies incurred a longer length of stay, lower operating expenses, generated higher revenue per day and profit margin, and served a greater proportion of Medicare patients compared to nonprofit counterparts. Large hospices owned by publicly traded hospices served a greater proportion of Medicare patients, offered fewer non-core services, had higher revenue per day and profit margin and incurred lower salary and benefit expense per day. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest publicly traded for-profit hospices, in comparison to for-profit and nonprofit hospices, are able to earn substantially higher profits.

Efficiency, Organizational↗

PubMed2005

Assessing the feasibility of developing centers of excellence: six initial steps.

Using these six steps, hospital administrators can begin to assess the feasibility of creating a center of excellence in their facility: Forecasting demographic changes in the service area. Identifying service lines. Calculating use rates for key service lines. Evaluating market trends and market share. Conducting a financial review. Formulating a plan.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Competency development and assessment in undergraduate healthcare management programs: the role of internships.

The profession of healthcare management has come under close scrutiny recently regarding the demonstration of competencies, and increasingly the academic and management literature has advocated for programs in healthcare management to address competency development. This paper addresses the importance of developing and assessing competencies, using undergraduate programs as its focus. Using an expanded framework suggested by the literature, this paper discusses competencies that are demonstrated through a required internship program at an undergraduate healthcare management program. Findings suggest that technical skills, conceptual skills, interpersonal skills, and personal growth and development are all important domains for competency attainment through internships. The approach offered is helpful to undergraduate programs as they address the role of internships in competency development and assessment.

Competency-Based Education↗

PubMed2004

7 steps for evaluating primary care practice ownership.

Hospitals shouldn't dismiss a primary care practice ownership strategy from the outset. Instead, it's important to learn from past missteps and conduct a thorough analysis of the opportunity by focusing on population growth and demographics, hospital utilization rates, disease and illness rates, physician supply and demand, market share, case-mix index, other hospital-owned physician practices, and concerns pertinent to the potential development site.

Demography↗

PubMed2003

Stakeholder perceptions of quality in managed care plans.

Quality within managed care plans continues to be a contentious issue. This article reports on a case study undertaken to identify the importance of health plan quality attributes to three key stakeholder groups affiliated with a single plan: employers, physicians, and consumers. Findings from a representative survey of these three stakeholder groups indicate that they value different attributes, and suggest that plans must be responsive to these varying perceptions of quality.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Operational and financial performance of newly established hospices.

The objective of the study was to examine the financial and operating performance of newly established, free- standing hospices relative to existing, freestanding hospices. A nonparametric median test was used to compare the median values of operating and financial performance measures between newly established hospices and existing hospices. Operating and financial data were measured for the 2 groups using cost report data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The authors sampled 44 new, freestanding hospices and selected 312 freestanding existing hospices and analyzed their data over 2 years from 2002 to 2003. The study found that 91% of these new hospices were owned by for-profit organizations and were located in the southern region of the United States. New hospices served fewer patients; however, they had a longer length of stay compared to existing hospices. They offered fewer imaging services and radiation therapy services. New hospices generated significantly higher revenue but incurred significantly higher expenses. The results suggest that longer lengths of stay allow these newer hospices to increase revenue and improve overall profitability.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗