Short Takes

Take Me Somewhere Else!

HR Solutions, Inc., a Chicago-based management consulting firm, has developed an Employee Satisfaction Normative Database by hospital departments, that looks to show which departments within healthcare organizations exhibit the lowest or highest desire to be treated at their place of work if they were in need of medical care.

The National Normative Healthcare research included roughly 475,000 employees in the healthcare industry all surveyed within the last three years.

The five highest rated healthcare departments by normative score:

• CEO, Vice President, Director: 82 percent

• Human Resources: 77 percent

• IT: 75 percent

• Finance Accounting: 73 percent

• CCU — CSI CU Cardiology: 72 percent

The lowest rated healthcare departments by normative score:

• ICU: 47 percent

• Critical — Intensive Care: 48 percent

• Pharmacy: 52 percent

• Respiratory: 55 percent

• Food and Nutrition Services: 56 percent

Recent releases Principles of Healthcare Reimbursement

Rural Wishes Granted

PPO network MultiPlan, Inc., based in New York, has awarded grants to rural facilities participating in The Multiplan Network to enable them to introduce a new service; expand an existing service; educate, screen or reach out to a new population; or otherwise serve their communities.

The $3,000 donations are part of MultiPlan's 2005 Rural Health Outreach Grant Program. Oneida County Hospital in Malad, Idaho, is one of the 10 facilities to receive a grant this year.

“It is through donations such as this that our facility can afford an investment in newer technologies which help us to fulfill our mission of providing quality healthcare within our community,” says Todd Winder, CEO and administrator of Oneida County Hospital.

“It is through donations such as this that our facility can afford an investment in newer technologies which help us to fulfill our mission”

The following facilities were selected from the more than 150 applications received this year, according to MultiPlan.

• Beaver Valley in Beaver, Utah

• Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center in Hartsville, S.C.

• Evergreen Medical Center in Evergreen, Ala.

• Hamilton Memorial Hospital District in McLeansboro, Ill.

• Hermann Area District Hospital in Hermann, Mo.

• Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, N.J.

• Madison Parish Hospital in Madison, Fla.

• Melissa Memorial Hospital in Holyoke, Colo.

• Oneida County Hospital in Malad, Idaho

• Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital in Ashland, Ky.

NAHIT and JCAHO Seek Clinical Consults

JCAHO recently established a Physician Engagement Advisory Group to support its strategy. The 18-member group includes representatives from provider organizations, academia and various medical specialties. Goals focus on quality of care and patient safety initiatives and include expanding physician interest and participation in JCAHO's accreditation process. The group is chaired by William Jacott, M.D., special advisor for professional relations, Joint Commission. The JCAHO Physician Engagement Advisory began meeting in December.

NAHIT's Clinical Advisory Group is made up of senior-level clinicians to help organizations develop a strategy for more widespread acceptance and adoption of IT among clinicians. The Alliance's Executive Committee of the Clinical Advisory Group has held two meetings and formed four subgroups: education/training, implementation, physician outreach, and grants/funding.

The group says it plans to leverage the work to date of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology, a group formed by the Alliance and charged with certifying electronic medical record products for the Department of Health and Human Services. Chairs are Narandra Kini, M.D., Trinity Health; Diane Bradley, M.D., Eclipsys Corp.; and Clair Callan, M.D., the Alliance.