Providers face new reporting requirements New reporting requirements from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration may make it easier to ascertain just how many sharps injuries and/or needlesticks are incurred every year by healthcare workers. The agency is betting that the requirements will “nudge” providers to take extra steps to safeguard their … [Read more...]
Facing the Threat
Infection prevention will take a committed effort from providers across the care continuum At any given time, about one in 25 inpatients has an infection related to hospital care, according to federal government figures. In nursing homes, an estimated 1 to 3 million serious healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) occur every year resulting in hospitalizations and associated … [Read more...]
Keep Calm … And Adapt
How to carry on in the midst of uncertainty Healthcare reform is a moving target. Congress and the president had hoped to make a clean break from the past this spring, but were unable to do so. “We’re going to be living with Obamacare for the foreseeable future,” said Speaker of the House Paul Ryan in late March, following the Republican party’s decision to pull … [Read more...]
The Pursuit of Excellence
Excellence is all around, if we look for it. Certainly it is exemplified in the manner in which these professionals practice their craft of medical sales. Pride, service, education, attention to the little things (that aren’t so little to the customer) are some of the things that came to mind as we share stories about this year’s recipients of the Repertoire/HIDA Excellence in … [Read more...]
March 2017
Click Here to Read (pdf version) Medical Distribution Hall of Fame Mike Carver Tony Melaro Dick Moorman Past Inductees PUBLISHER’S LETTER Dedicated to Our Industry Growing Leaders BJC HealthCare’s talent development initiative emphasizes leadership skills, technical skills and project-based learning. Moods and Emotions The Next Vital … [Read more...]
MACRA Nuts and Bolts
Editor’s note: The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 – known as MACRA – will change the way physician practices work, as well as the way distributor reps sell products and services. Repertoire readers should be familiar with the law. But it’s long – almost 2,400 pages. Watch Repertoire for brief explanations of the law throughout the year. This month: A brief … [Read more...]
New Measurements for HEDIS
Infection exposure risk one of the new measures for 2017 The Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set – HEDIS – is a tool used by more than 90 percent of America's health plans to measure performance on important dimensions of care and service. Because so many plans collect HEDIS data, and because the measures are so specifically defined, HEDIS makes it possible to … [Read more...]
Manufacturer Reps to Watch
Mike Webb, ambulatory care specialist, B. Braun Medical Gloria Lind, director of sales, West, Dukal Corp. Brian Warren, territory manager, Southwest, Masimo Ian Rodenberger, casework project manager, Medical Products and Services, Midmark David Szvetecz, territory sales manager, PDI Healthcare Josh Papelbon, senior account manager, Quidel Alexis Sailor, … [Read more...]
Better outcome? Better sales.
But tying the two together isn’t exactly easy The road leading from favorable patient outcomes to sales is a crooked one. For one thing, it’s difficult to prove the impact of a single medical device on a patient’s health outcome. Today, “process” is just as – if not more – important than “product,” for providers and hence, suppliers. For another, providers are getting … [Read more...]
Stopping Diabetes in its Tracks
HbA1c testing could play big role as Medicare addresses prediabetes Diabetes is at epidemic levels in the Medicare population, affecting more than 25 percent of Americans aged 65 or older, reports the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Care for Americans aged 65 and older with diabetes accounts for roughly $104 billion annually, and these costs are growing. By … [Read more...]