News

H&HN: Who'll Run Your IT?

The pressure to ramp up EHRs will only intensify the competition for an already inadequate supply of qualified tech workers. What can hospitals do?

VHA Alliance: How Utilizing Interim Leaders Can Work to Your Advantage

Today, more healthcare organizations than ever are using interim leaders to fill the void left by an unexpected loss of an executive. Even in the best case, a senior position can take over six months to fill, having a dramatic effect on financial, operational and clinical performance for months or even years to come.

HFM Across the Generations: Responding to the Baby Boom Healthcare Leadership Exodus

It is widely acknowledged that the U.S. labor force is aging and that health care will be one of the industries hardest hit by the exodus of aging retirees from executive leadership. Health sector workforce projections are, in fact, quite staggering.

Healthcare Trends – 2010

Twice each year, B. E. Smith surveys 200 leading healthcare executives to provide insight into the issues they expect to face in the coming year.

B. E. Smith Hires Mike Supple as Senior Vice President, Business Development

B. E. Smith today announced that Mike Supple has joined the firm as senior vice president, business development. With more than 20 years of experience selling health information technology solutions—including within both the acute care and ambulatory markets—Supple will assume his new duties at
B. E. Smith on January 5.

Rawlins Daily Times: Revenue Management at Memorial Hospital Carbon County

Interim Leadership plays a key role at MHCC in producing a successful plan for responsible revenue management at this Wyoming hospital.

Deirdre Byrne Joins B. E. Smith as Senior Vice President, Interim Leadership Services

B. E. Smith recently hired Deirdre Byrne to lead the firm's Interim Leadership division as senior vice president. Ms. Byrne is a seasoned executive with nearly 20 years of experience in healthcare consulting.

HFMA Hoosier Times: Create a Quality Program within Your Organization

In healthcare, quality must never be an afterthought. It is a mission. In fact, quality is the driving force behind everything you do in the process of caring for patients. As such, hospitals need to continuously improve the quality of care delivered.

LifeMed Alaska Hires New Chief Executive Officer

LifeMed Alaska—the leader in Alaska’s critical care air ambulance industry with more than 2,000 rescue missions yearly—recently hired Gary Stromberg to fill the role of chief executive officer. A seasoned executive with more than 12 years of experience in healthcare leadership, Stromberg will assume his new duties at LifeMed Alaska on December 1.

Skilled Interim Leaders Turn Short-Term Vacancies into Long-Term Advantages

Healthcare facilities see improved performance with strategic use of interims.

Becker's Hospital Review: 5 Hospital Crisis Scenarios and How to Overcome Them

Various crisis scenarios threaten hospitals, and when these crises hit, their impact can cause both short- and long-term damage to hospitals, both in terms of reputation and financial performance. Planning in advance for these potential disasters and applying key lessons from individuals who have overcome them can help your hospital prepare to successfully meet these challenges.

Kansas City Business Journal: B. E. Smith effectively uses crisis management

In times of crisis, B. E. Smith and other Kansas City-area companies use crisis management to navigate choppy economy.

Gordon Memorial Hospital hires Jim LeBrun as chief executive officer

Gordon Memorial Hospital in Gordon, Neb., recently hired Jim LeBrun to fill the role of chief executive officer. A seasoned executive with more than 20 years of experience in healthcare leadership, LeBrun assumed his new duties at Gordon Memorial on September 28.

Members to Benefit from New Agreement between Amerinet and B. E. Smith

Amerinet Inc., a leading national healthcare group purchasing organization, announces a new agreement with B. E. Smith for Executive Leadership Solutions.

HealthLeaders: Leadership, Recruiting and Development Roundtable

Finding the right leaders to guide an organization to the other side of this recession is extremely challenging. With half of all hospitals losing money, the housing crisis, layoffs, and a massive scaleback of services, recruitment efforts have been severely hampered. What strategies can organizations use to get the right talent in the door? How can organizations develop internal leaders? What role do interim executives play in the current market?

AHA, Trustee and H&HN 2010 Environmental Scan

The 2010 American Hospital Association Environmental Scan provides insight and information about market forces that have a high probability of affecting the health care field. It is designed to help hospital and health system executives better understand the health care landscape and the critical trends and issues their organizations will likely face in the foreseeable future.

Becker's ASC Review: Current Trends in Hospital and Health System CEO Compensation

The compensation of hospital and health system top executives varies greatly and is dependent, largely, on the size and type of the institution the executive is leading as well as the experience of the executive. However, there are several recent trends in healthcare executive compensation that seem to affect the majority of the executives, regardless of the institution they oversee.

HFMA: The New Wisdom: Collaborate with the Competition

Building strong affiliations with their competitors is one way for healthcare organizations to thrive in today's environment.

B. E. Smith Announces Crisis Management Services for Healthcare Organizations

Crisis situations at healthcare organizations demand a focused approach and swift response—particularly when the organization’s reputation and financial viability are at stake. B. E. Smith’s qualified crisis management consultants can be on site within 24 hours to stabilize the organization, assess the underlying issues and advise on next steps.

H&HN: Developing Tomorrow's Leaders

You are only as good as the people who work for you. This axiom is as pertinent today in healthcare as ever. A skillful, knowledgeable, and motivated workforce is a competitive advantage in the complex healthcare environment.

AONE Conference: Bertram Receives Organizational Innovation Award

At the American Organization of Nurse Executives’ annual conference in San Antonio, Texas, the newest recipient of the AONE’s Organizational Innovation for Nurse Executive Award was revealed: Donna L. Bertram, RN, MBA, NEA-BC, FAAN, vice president and chief nursing officer at Texas Health Arlington, Memorial Hospital in Arlington, Texas.

Jim Brophy Hired to Lead Board Services & CEO Search for B. E. Smith

B. E. Smith recently hired James Brophy as vice president of board services and CEO search. Brophy, who assumed his new duties on March 2, has more than 25 years of experience in board leadership and corporate governance of for-profit companies and not-for-profit organizations. He also is an experienced healthcare executive, having extensively served for 14 years as a chief executive officer of hospitals in healthcare systems. “Jim is a values-centered leader who earns confidence, trust and respect,” said Doug Smith, chief executive officer, B. E. Smith. “He will draw on his considerable experience with boards, and his deep network of CEO colleagues, to continue growing B. E. Smith’s consulting solutions and CEO search service capabilities.”

New Coaching Program Helps Charge Nurses Develop Leadership Skills

As the frontline leaders on a hospital unit, charge nurses make a tremendous impact on financial outcomes. However, with new laws, new treatments and technological advancements surfacing regularly, they require enhanced leadership skills to successfully manage the complex demands of a fast-paced hospital unit. B. E. Smith has the answer: a unique leadership development program that sends a tenured nurse executive coach into the work environment to teach charge nurses the skills they need to succeed in a rapidly evolving healthcare climate.

Dr. Sharon Kurz named CEO of St. Elias Specialty Hospital

St. Elias Specialty Hospital, the only long-term acute-care facility in Alaska, recently hired Dr. Sharon Kurz to fill the role of chief executive officer. A seasoned executive with more than 25 years of experience in healthcare leadership, Kurz assumed her duties at St. Elias effective immediately.

Jim Suver selected CEO of Ridgecrest Regional Hospital

After nearly 30 years with Ridgecrest Regional Hospital, Chief Executive Officer David Mechtenberg recently passed the torch to Jim Suver, a California native with a rich history of healthcare leadership in the state. Suver, who assumed the chief executive officer role for the hospital on February 17, has spent his entire healthcare leadership career in California.

Trustee: CEOs with Taproots - Searching for Small and Rural Hospital CEOs

Although the data are anecdotal, most agree that CEO turnover in small and rural hospitals is on the rise, a phenomenon with far-reaching consequences.

BusinessWeek: Doug Smith Named One of "World's Most Influential Headhunters"

Doug Smith, Chief Executive Officer of B. E. Smith, recently was honored for excellence in management recruiting by being named to BusinessWeek's "World's Most Influential Headhunters" list. Smith's detailed BusinessWeek profile may be viewed at  the following link: http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/oct2008/ca20081028_085486.htm

H&HN: Revenue Cycle Moves from the Back Office to the Front Office

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, state Medicaid agencies and private insurance companies increasingly link payments to outcomes. Payers are more aggressive in withholding payments if medical necessity is not documented. And problems discovered in audits may result in hospitals refunding money already paid.

H&HN: Take a Deep Breath and Brace Yourself. . .

The health care industry was hardly immune to the financial catastrophes that swept the world in 2008. Hospitals watched as their access to capital steadily decreased over the year, punctuated in September by dramatic declines in the stock marketing and the recent determination by the National Bureau of Economic Research that the United States has been in a recession since December 2007.

The Evolving Role of the CMO

Hospitals are in the midst of fundamental transition in care delivery. The growth of transparency in quality and patient safety is propelling evidence-based practices and the science of high-reliability systems. As hospitals move along this path, the need for greater physician leadership is apparent. The role of the CMO has grown significantly over a 20-year period, from part-time, mid-level manager to full-time senior executive.

Kathy Noland named Vice President, Board & CEO Services for B. E. Smith, Inc.

B. E. Smith announced that Kathy Noland has been promoted to the position of Vice President, Board & CEO Services. Noland, previously B. E. Smith's Vice President of Senior Executive Search, brings more than 20 years of experience in senior leadership roles for hospitals, home care companies, health systems and national healthcare organizations.

Becker's ASC Review: Understanding the Market for ASC Administrators

Whether you're looking to fill an empty slot or just want to ensure you remain competitive in order to keep your administrator, here are four keys to understanding the current market, according to experts.

Timothy O. Morgan named Chief Operating Officer for B. E. Smith, Inc.

B. E. Smith announced that Timothy O. Morgan has been promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer. Morgan, previously B. E. Smith's Executive Vice President of Consulting Solutions, brings a wealth of industry experience to the newly created position, including more than a decade of executive leadership experience with the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia.

Trustee: Following the Rules - Community Benefit and Tax-Exempt Status

Few issues are as critical to the financial stability and mission credibility of nonprofit hospitals than the current dispute over the future of the Community Benefit Standard of tax-exempt status. Fiduciary obligations mandate that governing boards be "front and center" on this key issue.

Trustee: Following the Rules - EMTALA

In the 1980's, it was not uncommon for emergency departments to avoid treating patients who could not pay by transferring or "dumping" them on public hospitals without patients' consent and often when they were in critical or unstable condition. So it did not surprise care providers, when, in 1986, Congress passed the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) - commonly called by those in the health care field as the "Patient Anti-Dumping Law." 

Trustee: Following the Rules - HCAHPS: What it is, What it means

HCAHPS is the first publically available program that presents side-by-side information collected from patients about individual hospitals on a wide scale. The HCAHPS program does not rank hospitals as better or worse performers. It simply posts the information so consumers can make their own judgments.

Trustee: Following the Rules - How to Respond to a Qui Tam Lawsuit

In 2007, health care fraud claims accounted for $1.5 billion out of a total of $2 billion that was recovered by the federal government under CFCA; more than $1 billion of this sum was generated by whistle-blower, or qui tam, lawsuits in which and individual files a suit on behalf of the government to recover monies wrongfully paid by the government to the company or hospital. Government investigations into the whistle-blower's claims may target the hospital and/or its officers and may be civil or criminal in nature.

Trustee: Following the Rules - Stark Laws: Then and Now

Few federal regulations strike more directly at the heart of hospital operations today than those that fall under the Stark umbrella. The intent of the Physician Self-Referral Act (better known as the Stark law) is relatively simple and straightforward and hardly controversial.