One of the ways that Answers Media is different from other media sites is the sense of community. The thought leaders in our community are good about sharing their thoughts on the issues of today. We publish at least eight guest posts a week now, so in case you missed some, here are the top ten read and shared guest posts in the month of December. You can also read previous month’s Top Ten Lists. Thank you for contributing and reading.
Most Played Episode from Healthcare NOW Radio in June
From Value-Based Care Insights: As hospitals and health systems continue to evolve in value-based care, optimizing the post-acute recovery process has become a top priority. On this episode host Dan Marino is joined by Diane Shifley, Assistant Vice President of Population Health and Post-Acute Services at a major Chicago health system to discuss how robust transitions-in-care programs can drive better patient outcomes. She shares insights on the critical role of early patient evaluation—whether at hospital admission or pre-surgery—in shaping effective transitions.
Most Read Posts from June
The Future of Value-Based Care: Aligning Payers & Providers for Better Outcomes
By Chris Lally, VP Operations, RAAPID INC
LinkedIn: Christopher Lally
LinkedIn: RAAPID INC
Fee-for-service payment once rewarded volume rather than health. The model covered rising costs for decades, yet patients with chronic illness often felt little change in their day-to-day care. Over time, lawmakers, payers, and clinicians recognized that misaligned incentives produced waste, clinician fatigue, and uneven results. Value-based care reshapes the equation by tying payment to quality, equity, and cost control. Continue reading…
Implementing an eCOA Platform? Top 4 Best Practices to Ensure Success
By Melissa Mooney, Director of eCOA Solutions Engineering, IQVIA
LinkedIn: Melissa Mooney
LinkedIn: IQVIA
The process of selecting and implementing an electronic clinical outcome assessment platform — an eCOA — involves careful planning from the start of selecting a vendor to configuring the system and launching a clinical trial. A proactive approach and adherence to best practices are essential to optimize this process, potentially reducing trial start-up time by several weeks. Continue reading…
The Hidden Cost of Healthcare Data Breaches
By Lance Reid, CEO, Telcion Communications Group
LinkedIn: Lance Reid
LinkedIn: Telcion Communications Group
Cybersecurity threats are no longer abstract risks for healthcare organizations, they are routine, disruptive and increasingly dangerous. Whether you’re a major hospital system or a rural clinic, the risk is real. Cybercriminals want access to sensitive patient data, and they’re becoming more sophisticated every day in how they go about getting it. What’s worse? The fallout from these breaches often extends beyond financial penalties. Continue reading…
The Medicaid Conundrum
By Jay Eisenstock, Founder, JE Consulting
LinkedIn: Jay Eisenstock
As Congress seeks to introduce changes to the Medicaid program, I’ve been reflecting on both its challenges and opportunities. Established in 1965, Medicaid was designed as a safety net for vulnerable populations living in poverty. It was intentionally structured as a federal-state partnership, with states responsible for administering their programs, within federal guidelines, in exchange for federal matching funds. States with lower per capita incomes have a higher federal matching rate. Continue reading…
Patients Welcome AI in Healthcare, but Intentional Implementation is Key
By Kristen Jacobsen, VP of OmniChannel Engagement, RevSpring
LinkedIn: Kristen Jacobsen
LinkedIn: RevSpring
While some patients feel anxious or resistant to engaging with AI tools, such as virtual agents, others are quite open to it. Understanding when and how to implement AI in healthcare matters because mistakes come with serious consequences for the health of your patients and the financial health of your organization. Yet when it’s implemented carefully, AI tools have the potential to reduce staff burden and improve the patient experience. Continue reading…
Inside Rural Healthcare: Executive Perspectives from the TruBridge National Client Conference 2025
By Sarah Harper, Senior Account Executive, FINN Partners
LinkedIn: Sarah Harper
LinkedIn: FINN Partners
“Our hospital is the only facility within 50 miles that still delivers babies.” This statement is a common reality for many of the 46 million people living in rural America, yet hearing it firsthand stopped me in my tracks. Dawn Christian, RN, Director of Quality and Process Excellence at Wayne County Hospital shared her experiences from 30 years as a nurse in the community of Corydon, IA, a small town about 75 miles south of Des Moines. Continue reading…
The Intersection of Innovation and Compassion: Using Technology to Deliver Better Care
By Percival Kane, Jr., MHA, Chief Operating Officer, University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center & Iain Jewitt, Chief Technology Officer, Purple
LinkedIn: Percival Kane, Jr.
LinkedIn: University Hospitals
LinkedIn: Iain Jewitt
LinkedIn: Purple B Corp
As the healthcare landscape rapidly evolves, digital transformation is often seen through the lens of clinical systems, telemedicine, or data interoperability. Yet, one critical factor is often overlooked: the experience of physically navigating hospital environments. At University Hospitals (UH) in Cleveland, a forward-thinking partnership is challenging that oversight by reimagining how patients, families, and staff move through healthcare spaces. Continue reading…
Reducing Length of Stay Starts with Rethinking Case Management
By Gina Kidder, Clinical Outcomes Engineer, ABOUT Healthcare
LinkedIn: Gina Kidder
LinkedIn: ABOUT Healthcare
Minimizing length of stay (LOS) while at the same time maintaining high-quality patient care is a persistent and complex challenge for health systems that affects care quality, patient throughput, financial performance, and staff workload. While many healthcare organizations launch large-scale, system-wide initiatives to address issues involving LOS, these efforts can often feel overwhelming and overlook one of the most impactful levers: case management. Continue reading…
From Call Center to Care Center: Elevating Patient Engagement with AI-Powered Automation
By Swapnil Jain, CEO and co-founder, Observe.AI
LinkedIn: Swapnil Jain
LinkedIn: Observe.AI
In healthcare, the patient experience begins long before a clinical encounter. For many patients, their first point of contact with healthcare organizations is through the call center, where questions about appointment scheduling, insurance details, and general inquiries can either provide reassurance or cause frustration. Unfortunately, many healthcare organizations still rely on outdated systems that create friction during these initial touchpoints. Continue reading…
FHIR Over Direct: Accelerating the Pace toward Trusted, Scalable Interoperability
By Lisa Nelson, Fractional Chief Technical Officer, DirectTrust
LinkedIn: Lisa Nelson
LinkedIn: DirectTrust
Interoperability in healthcare has come a long way, but it has been slow going. The introduction of FHIR holds many promises, but there’s a practical challenge: how do we shift the industry to use more modern, more standardized structured health information? Are there options to securely communicate information expressed in FHIR between organizations without requiring a complete infrastructure overhaul? That’s where FHIR over Direct comes in. Continue reading…