Better collaboration between the ED and hospitalists. A more satisfying patient experience. The majority of admissions discharged home. Shorter lengths of stay.

These are the results being achieved at hospitals nationwide thanks to the advantages provided by a VEP-managed Clinical Decision Unit (CDU).

A well-run CDU speeds patient turnaround and improves throughput. Patients move out of the ED more quickly instead of waiting there for hours to see if they get better. ED beds open up faster because patients transfer to the CDU for observation. Plus, hospitals benefit through optimal management of patients usually not requiring full admission.

CDUs help reduce costs

CDUs have a critical, very positive financial impact. They reduce costs by reducing readmissions. Plus, CDUs optimize resource utilization and support Value Based Purchasing.

In addition, services implemented in the CDU, such as observation protocols, have proven to reduce costs up to 70% compared to inpatient fees.

CDUs improve satisfaction

CDUs help build staff and patient satisfaction.

Your staff is more satisfied, focusing on the patients who truly need their specialized care. ED staff and hospitalists also enjoy a more satisfying collaboration.

Patients and families are more satisfied because they receive more efficient care, with less wasted time and shorter lengths of stay. The majority of patients are discharged without admission within 8 to 15 hours.

See the difference a well-run CDU can make in your hospital

One recent case study adds to the proof of the effectiveness of CDUs. When implemented at Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital, Compton, California, the results were dramatic:

• Collaboration between ED and hospitalists improved
• Patient satisfaction went up significantly
• Admissions soared, from -36 in January to 149 in September
• 85% of admissions to the CDU are discharged home
• The average length of stay is currently 17 hours and trending lower

This CDU was a collaborative effort of the hospital and provider-owned VEP Healthcare. Our experience and expertise with CDUs – as well as ED management plus hospitalist, intensive care, telehealth, and surgicalist services – may benefit your hospital too.

To see what a VEP CDU can do for you, please contact Mitesh Patel, MD, at mpatel@vephealthcare.com.

The post Have You Observed Your Clinical Decision Unit Lately? appeared first on VEP Healthcare.

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) combines parts of the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), Value-based Payment Modifier (VBM), and the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) incentive program into one single program called the Merit-based Incentive Payment System, or “MIPS”.

The data submitted for the MIPS metrics in 2017 will determine the level of Medicare payment in 2019. During the past six months, EGO has been collecting monthly data by site and service line. This information has been submitted to Medicare by EGO on our behalf.

VEP will not incur a penalty in 2019 at all of our sites!

Moving forward, we will be providing site specific performance updates via Rob Wyman’s Medical Directors’ call. Information regarding each metric and the needed documentation will be provided using the Medical Director section of the VEP portal, which is accessible HERE.

Kevin Dement, our Senior Director of Revenue Cycle Management has watched over the creation of the monthly report. He has done all the heavy lifting with EGO to insure VEP sites are MACRA compliant.

In the fourth quarter of 2017, we will be reviewing the 2018 metrics.  As we are sure there will be changes to the MACRA process and associated performance thresholds, we want to make sure our workflow and feedback processes are in place.

The post VEP Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) Update for 2017 appeared first on VEP Healthcare.

Successful management of the hospital’s emergency department leads to expanded role for VEP

(CONCORD, CALIFORNIA, USA) VEP Healthcare, Inc. has contracted with Dignity Health – California Hospital Medical Center to manage the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU). In addition, VEP will continue to manage, as it has for six years, the hospital’s emergency department services.

In the ICU at California Hospital Medical Center, VEP will manage multi-specialty teams that deliver collaborative, coordinated intensive care. Intensive care consists of specialized medical and nursing services provided to patients facing life-threatening illness or injury.

About 80% of all Americans will experience intensive care services either as a patient, family member, or friend during their lifetime. Examples of conditions requiring intensive care include heart attack, trauma cases, poisoning, surgical complications, premature birth, and strokes.

Margaret R. Peterson, PhD, President of California Hospital Medical Center, states, “VEP has helped us optimize the quality and efficiency of our hospital’s emergency department services. Now, we welcome the advantages they can bring to our ICU.”

Adds Steven Maron, MD, President and CEO of VEP Healthcare, “We value our partnership with California Hospital Medical Center and are pleased to expand our services into the intensive care unit of this landmark hospital.”

For more information, contact VEP Healthcare. Call 925.225.5837 and visit VEP
online at www.vephealthcare.com.

About Dignity Heath California Hospital Medical Center
Founded in 1887, Dignity Health – California Hospital Medical Center is a 318-bed, acute care, nonprofit hospital located in downtown Los Angeles. The hospital offers a full complement of services including a Level II trauma center, Los Angeles Center for Women’s Health, obstetrics and pediatric services, and comprehensive cardiac and surgical services. The hospital shares a legacy of human kindness with Dignity Health, one of the nation’s five largest health care systems. Visit dignityhealth.org/californiahospital for more information.

About VEP Healthcare
VEP Healthcare began providing emergency medical management services in 1981. In the years since, the organization’s expertise has expanded into hospitalist services, intensive care, clinical decision units, telehealth, and surgicalist services. Today, the owners of VEP – the company’s physicians, advanced practice clinicians, and corporate personnel – deliver clinical staffing and management services to major urban, smaller community, and rural hospitals nationwide. Partner hospitals call the organization’s positive impact on quality, efficiency, and patient satisfaction “the VEP Effect.” For more information about VEP Healthcare, call 925.225.5837, or visit www.vephealthcare.com.

The post VEP Healthcare to manage intensive care services for Dignity Health – California Hospital Medical Center appeared first on VEP Healthcare.

The post VEP Healthcare congratulates its partner Dignity Health Northridge on being named one of America’s Best Hospitals appeared first on VEP Healthcare.

Distinguished emergency medicine physician has more than 30 years of experience in the field

(CONCORD, CALIFORNIA, USA) VEP Healthcare is pleased to announce the appointment of Sanford “Sandy” Herman, MD, to the positions of interim Chair of Emergency Medicine and Emergency Department (ED) Medical Director at Tennova Healthcare – Clarksville, Tennessee.

Dr. Herman is certified in emergency medicine by the American Association of Physician Specialties and has been a practicing emergency physician for more than 30 years. He previously has held ED medical director positions at other hospitals and is currently a VEP Regional Director.

Past president of the Tennessee chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians earlier in this decade, Dr. Herman has an exceptional track record of leading improvements in ED quality and efficiency.

Dr. Herman replaces Mark Muiznieks, MD, who chose to step down from the ED medical director position after four years at the helm. Dr. Muiznieks served on many medical staff leadership committees during his tenure and was instrumental in assisting with the development and implementation of the new Tennova ER-Sango, the first freestanding ED in Clarksville. He will remain with VEP and continue to serve the community.

Says Dr. Herman, “I am very excited about this new opportunity to serve Tennova Healthcare and the people of Clarksville.”

Steven Maron, MD, President and CEO of VEP Healthcare, states, “Sandy has been a valued member of our team for many years. We have the utmost confidence that he will excel in this new position.”

For more information, contact VEP Healthcare. Call 925.225.5837 and visit VEP online at www.vephealthcare.com.

About Tennova Healthcare

One of Tennessee’s largest health networks, Tennova Healthcare includes 16 hospitals and more than 115 physician clinics. The combined network has approximately 2,600 licensed beds, 2,800 physicians on the combined active medical staffs, and 9,000 employees, with more than 70,000 admissions and 465,000 emergency department visits each year. For more information regarding Tennova Healthcare, please visit https://www.tennova.com/.

About VEP Healthcare

VEP Healthcare began providing emergency medical management services in 1981. In the years since, the organization’s expertise has expanded into hospitalist services, intensive care, clinical decision units, telehealth, and surgicalist services. Today, the owners of VEP – the company’s physicians, advanced practice clinicians, and corporate personnel – deliver clinical staffing and management services to major urban, smaller community, and rural hospitals nationwide. Partner hospitals call the organization’s positive impact on quality, efficiency, and patient satisfaction “the VEP Effect.” For more information about VEP Healthcare, call 925.225.5837, or visit www.vephealthcare.com.

The post VEP Healthcare names Sanford Herman, MD, new interim Chair of Emergency Medicine and ED Medical Director at Tennova Healthcare – Clarksville appeared first on VEP Healthcare.

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The post VEP Healthcare to manage emergency department and hospitalist services for City Hospital at White Rock in Dallas, Texas appeared first on VEP Healthcare.