Publications

October 2008
ADVANCE for Directors in Rehabilitation
Feeling the Squeeze
by Daniel B. Walter and Francine Machisko
New rules are restricting the inpatient rehab sector. Can your facility adapt? Noblis' Walter and Machisko show how looking for strategies to work within the 75-percent rule guidelines can help identify alternate admission sources and position your facility in today's rehab markets.

September 2008
Trustee
Strategic Resource Allocation
by Susanna Krentz and Cathy Sullivan Clark
Almost all hospitals face the issue of not having enough money to accomplish everything they would like to. So how does the board pick among winning ideas when it can’t afford them all? Noblis Center for Health Innovation experts Krentz and Clark offer tips to help boards maximize the return on their organizations’ limited resources.

Fall 2008
Healthcare Financial Management Association Strategic Financial Planning Newsletter
Beyond and Behind the Ratios - How to Manage Your Credit Ratings 
by Scott Clay, Peter Bruton, and Deborah Kolb-Collier
Financial strategy experts Clay, Bruton, ad Kolb-Collier give advice about managing credit ratings to help set the stage for long-term quantitative gains.

July 29, 2008
Hospitals & Health Networks
Medical Staff Recruitment Planning under Stark
by Deborah Kolb-Collier and Kathleen Henchey
With each iteration of the Stark laws, CMS has more precisely defined what it considers to be acceptable financial transactions between nonprofit health care organizations and physicians in private practice. Noblis authors Kolb-Collier and Henchey discuss the implications of the Stark regulations and offer best practices and next steps for medical staff recruitment under Stark.

June 6, 2008
Health Leaders Media
When Having the Strategic Plan Is Not Enough: Facilitating an Effective Process
by Cathy Clark and Anita Iyenger
Noblis Center for Health Information authors Clark and Iyneger discuss the four key components to successful strategic planning.

June 2008
Healthcare Financial Management Association
Healthcare Cost Containment–5 Actions to Instill Financial Accountability
by Robert D. Betka, Jr.
Noblis Center for Health Information Senior Principal, Betka highlights five actions that high-performing organizations execute effectively that provide the framework for instilling financial accountability into frontline managers.

May 8, 2008
Health Information Management Technology
Should RHIOs Extend to Canada
by Barbara Cox
There is certainly a business case for establishing interconnectivity between the U.S. and Canada, though neither government would particularly like to acknowledge it. Noblis' Center for Health Innovation's Barbara Cox discusses the advantages of extending RHIOs to Canada and the issues surrounding adoption.

Spring 2008
Journal of Health Information Management
The Consumer’s View of the Electronic Health Record: Engaging Patients in EHR Adoption
by Barbara Cox and Judah Thornewell
The consumer/patient perspective is often forgotten as it pertains to the electronic health record (EHR). This article focuses on patient-related benefits of an EHR and discusses the actions steps needed to continue engaging the consumer/patient in the adoption process.

May 2008
Compliance Today
Inpatient rehabilitation: Knowing the regulations is not enough
by Jane Snecinski
Most compliance officers are completely caught off guard when they become aware of a significant negative financial impact due to denials for the inpatient rehabilitation program. Noblis Center for Health Innovation's Jane Snecinski identifies compliance issues and their financial impact for inpatient rehabilitation clients.

May 2008
Health Management Technology
Getting CIOs Involved
by John Vitalis and Frank D. Kittredge, Jr.
It is critically important for technology professionals to be involved at the outset of the facility planning effort. Too often, however, either the health-delivery organization executives fail to include the CIO in the planning, or the technology professionals wait to be given the requirements so they can propose the technology solutions. Noblis authors Vitalis and Kittredge discuss why failing to include CIOs in the initial stages of design planning can have dire consequences.

April 4, 2008
Hospitals & Health Networks
Avoiding Mission Collision
by Susanna E. Krentz and Jessica S. Ross
In many instances, failure to achieve stated priorities results from a mismatch of the new focus with the hospital’s existing business model or behavioral characteristics. Noblis authors Krentz and Ross show how understanding likely areas of “mission collision” can help hospital leaders anticipate tension areas and develop plans to eliminate or minimize problems.

March 24, 2008
Noblis White Paper
Post-Licensing Surveillance of the Safety and Efficacy of New Drugs, Biologics, and Devices
An Action Plan for the Development of a National Pharmacovigilance System

March 17, 2008
HealthLeaders
What Hospital Systems Can Do to Ride Out the Financial Market Turbulence
by Peter Bruton, Scott B. Clay, and Deborah Kolb-Collier
As a result of the turbulent market, some hospital systems have seen the interest rates on their auction-rate debt soar from 2 percent to 3 percent to more than 10 percent in some auctions. Noblis Center for Health Innovation authors discuss the swing in rates, the state of the bond market, and what hospitals can do to ride out the market turbulence.

Spring 2008
Healthcare Financial Management Association Strategic Financial Planning Newsletter
Concept of Operations: A Framework for Integrated Facility Planning
by Frank Kittredge and Bill Hejna
Noblis facility planning experts Kittredge and Hejna discuss using Concept of Operations Framework to bridge the gap between facilities and operations planning.

February 4, 2008
HealthLeaders Media
Tools for Competing Successfully in a Pay-for-Performance Environment
by Aaron DeBoer, Anita Iyenger, and Tanay Dudhela
From a strategic perspective, organizations need leaders, managers, and clinicians who are committed to superior clinical outcomes and teamwork at every level. Leaders within the organization should develop a culture that encourages open and thorough communication. As organizations transition to this new, competitive environment, strong communication and collaboration between management and staff will be essential.

February 2008
Healthcare Strategy Alert
Strategic Pricing: Walking the Tightrope
by Susanna Krentz and Scott Clay
Noblis Center for Health Innovation authors Krentz and Clay discuss the complexities of healthcare pricing and offer pricing tips for healthcare strategists. 

January 21, 2008
HealthLeaders
Beyond the Financial Rewards of Pay-for-Performance
by Aaron DeBoer, Anita Iyenger, and Tanay Dudhela
Noblis Center for Health Innovation's authors DeBoer, Iyenger, and Dudhela discuss the impact and lasting value that indirect strategic benefits bring to pay-for-performance programs.

January 2008
Healthcare Financial Management
The RAC Program. Are You Ready?
by Francine Machisko and Jane Snecinski
This Noblis Center for Health Innovation article explores the impact the Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC) program will have on providers and discusses how to prepare for an RAC review. (PDF)

November 2007
Healthcare Financial Management
Defending A+. How to Maintain a High Credit Rating During a Facilities Overhaul.
by Ed Ollie, Deborah Kolb-Collier, and Scott Clay
Read HFM's article by Ed Ollie, Deborah Kolb-Collier, and Scott Clay to learn how New Hanover Regional Medical Center successfully defended its A+ credit rating during a major construction and renovation initiative. (PDF)

October 2007
Health Management Technology
Serious Gaming
by Paul Breslin, Clem McGowan, Ph.D., Benjamin Pecheux, and Richard Sudol
Noblis' Breslin, McGowan, Pecheux and Sudol show how advanced computer simulation games help to transform healthcare and disaster preparedness.