Process Improvement

Patients would love to connect with their healthcare providers online, but the providers aren't getting the message, according to a new study from Osterman Research and Health Industry News. While docs love to email each other, 82 percent of consumers say they've never received an email from their physician. Only 15 percent are able to schedule their appointments online. While 75 percent want to pay their medical bills online, only one in seven actually can.

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There's nothing like a captive audience to show that high quality and cost containment can go together. A "managed care" program at two county jails in Texas has slashed costs up to 60 percent while keeping prisoners just as healthy. The physician in charge of the program has ended the practice of sending patients to the ER for every little thing, and he's instituted competitive bidding for things like medications and dental care. The county EMS screens the patients and calls a physician …

Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty has instituted a pay-for-performance program for all state-paid healthcare plans, including the state's medical assistance programs for the poor and the health plans for state workers. The program will set standards for quality of care in four of the most expensive areas: diabetes, hospital stays, preventive care and cardiac care. In each area, it will set targets for healthcare providers and pay bonuses to those who increase quality and performance. The …