Observation Deck – Watch Out for the Gorilla
I recently attended a one-day conference in Chicago sponsored by Medline Industries called “Prevention Above All.” Focused on patient safety, the conference anticipated the government’s…
Articles by Mark Thill
Observation Deck July/August 2008
A little discipline (and willingness to work together) can go a long way Putting together our annual feature, “Ten People to Watch in Healthcare Contracting,”…
Observation Deck – Medicare ups the ante on patient safety
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in April proposed to expand the list of hospital-acquired conditions for which they won’t pay, in an…
Observation Deck – Vendor credentialing: The audacity of hope
The vendor credentialing controversy calls up so many issues. On the surface, it’s all about patient safety. Who could dispute the hospital’s right and obligation…
Observation Deck – The Reluctant Salesperson
If you’re like many contracting professionals, you rose through the ranks, beginning in the storeroom or purchasing department. At some point in your career, you…
Observation Deck: The Vendor-credentialing mess
Direct-selling manufacturers and distributors are becoming increasingly agitated about something that you are doing. Judging from several forums I’ve attended recently, suppliers are worried that…
Observation Deck: To Err is Human – and Costly
It came as no surprise when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced in August that the feds would no longer reimburse hospitals for…
Observation Deck: The Time’s Right
Healthcare is as intractable an issue as the weather; no one agrees on how to fix it. Indeed, there are some who don’t believe it…
Observation Deck: Is Less More?
Two news stories from the past month caught my attention. Perhaps they offer hope for a way out of what appears to be a collision…
Observation Deck: Choices to be Made
More than 13 years after President Clinton unveiled a plan to provide universal healthcare coverage for all Americans, and just slightly less than that before…