Rehab Continuum Report Archives – October 1, 2003
October 1, 2003
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13 and counting: Top rehab hospital recognized for research, patient care
For 13 years in a row, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) has landed at the top spot on the rehab section of U.S. News & World Reports annual list of the best hospitals in America. No other hospital in any specialty consistently has been ranked No. 1. What could be so special in Chicago to garner this honor? -
Robot helps paralyzed patients learn to walk
A pioneering robotic device being tested at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago could change the way therapists retrain patients with paralysis to walk. -
Some patients wired to feel pain more intensely
New research from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC, confirms for the first time that some individuals genetically are more sensitive to pain than others. The research also shows that patients really are capable of accurately reporting the pain they feel. -
HIPAA EDI enforcement to be kinder, gentler
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will use a complaint-driven process to enforce the transactions and code sets provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act after the Oct. 16 implementation deadline and will focus on using voluntary compliance -
Cut claims — not cost per claim — to save
In tight economic times, injury prevention is an economic necessity. Consider this: Medical costs for workers compensation claims involving lost time from work rose by 12% in 2002. Payment for lost wages rose by 7%, according to the Insurance Information Institute. -
Zero-lift policy boosts savings for hospital
Ergonomist Laurie Wolf, MS, CPE, spent years teaching client companies how to reduce their workers compensation claims by implementing ergonomic interventions. But when her own employer, BJC Health Care in St. Louis, encountered claims of more than $4 million, she realized that she needed to turn her attention close to home. -
Have fun with quality: Host a performance fair
Looking for a fun way to share your accomplishments with the rest of the staff, and teach them a little bit about quality to boot? Why not try a performance improvement fair? -
Language services tool for health care providers
The Access Project and the National Health Law Program have developed a resource to help health care providers and others ensure people with limited English proficiency receive appropriate language assistance services in medical settings.