Hospital has fast reaction to data breach; 3 health insurance exchange numbers that are meaningless;

By Dan Bowman Dec 10, 2013 1:44pm

News From Around the Web

> Officials at Houston Methodist Hospital learned on Dec. 5 that an encrypted laptop and some paper files were stolen, and began notifying patients, local media and federal officials the very next day, Health Data Management reported. While most of the information on the laptop was not subject to reporting under the breach notification rule, according to Health Data Management, the hospital still is offering one year of free identity theft services to all 1,300 impacted patients. Article

Provider News

> As hospitals and healthcare systems pinch pennies and look for ways to operate more efficiently, a new report reveals six simple steps they can take to reduce length of stay and increase on-time discharge. Experts from leading hospitals around the country shared ideas with CentralLogic on how to improve patient care, even with limited resources. Article

> An Austin, Texas, hospital improved the efficiency of its emergency department (ED) by taking inspiration from an unlikely model: the assembly line. The 241-bed Brackenridge Hospital, as a Level 1 trauma center, cannot turn any patients away from its ED, but in 2011, "[i]t wasn't sized for the number of patients coming through there," Kristie Loescher, senior lecturer at the McComb School of Business, told Know. Article

Health Insurance News

> The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the White House have been releasing multiple numbers in an attempt to show the federal health insurance exchange website, HealthCare.gov, is operating smoothly now. But how many of those data points really matter? Article

> As open enrollment gets into full swing, some state health insurance exchanges are in the midst of a leadership shakeup. The executive director of Maryland's health insurance, for instance, stepped down from her post this month amid criticism and technical problems. Article

And Finally... And I thought I was a heavy sleeper. Article