Healthcare

Unannounced surveys are no longer the exception in healthcare—they’re the norm. Accrediting bodies increasingly expect sterile processing departments (SPDs) to demonstrate consistent compliance, real-time documentation, and reliable adherence to manufacturers’ instructions for use on any given day, not just during audit season. Joint Commission survey data continue to show that high-level disinfection and sterilization practices…

Emergency departments across the U.S. are under unprecedented strain, with overcrowding, staffing shortages, and inpatient bed constraints converging into a throughput crisis. The American Hospital Association reports that hospital capacity and workforce growth have lagged, intensifying delays from arrival to disposition. At the same time, advances in artificial intelligence are moving from experimental to operational—raising…

Dementia is becoming one of healthcare’s most difficult problems to ignore. As the population ages, more families are finding themselves responsible for loved ones who can no longer manage their own care, communicate symptoms clearly, or navigate the healthcare system. Research shows that people living with dementia are hospitalized far more often than those without it—even…

In healthcare, patient safety and operational efficiency often depend on invisible systems working perfectly in the background. One of those systems—water quality—has quietly become a defining factor in sterile processing success. With new standards such as AAMI ST108 setting stricter expectations, hospitals, and SPDs (Sterile Processing Departments) are rethinking how they monitor, manage, and measure…

Sterile Processing Departments (SPDs) are the unsung backbone of surgical care — ensuring every instrument, tray, and tool is safe, sterile, and ready when needed. Yet, despite their vital role, SPD workflows often rely on manual processes and underrecognized best practices. As healthcare systems push for greater efficiency and staff well-being, SPD managers are turning…

Across America, rural hospitals are facing an existential crisis. From physician burnout and recruitment struggles to malpractice insurance woes and shrinking OB units, the challenges facing small health systems are multiplying. According to the National Rural Health Association, roughly 190 rural hospitals have closed down or discontinued inpatient care since 2010 — and many more…

The U.S. healthcare system is at a crossroads — facing rising costs, limited competition, and a widening gap between innovation and accessibility. According to projections from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), national health spending is expected to grow faster than the overall economy over the next decade — about 5.8% per year…

Hospitals today are juggling tighter budgets, shifting regulations, and increasingly savvy patients—all while trying to keep financial operations running smoothly. That pressure has made the revenue cycle a powerful lever for innovation. The spread of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation is no longer experimental; it’s reshaping how health systems manage billing, reimbursement, and patient engagement….

Hospitals today are fighting a two-front battle — one against increasingly sophisticated payers armed with automation and AI, and another to meet patients’ rising expectations for clarity and convenience. A recent joint study by Knowtion Health and the Healthcare Financial Management Association found that nearly one in two revenue cycle executives now identify payer denials…

Virtual care is no longer an experiment—it’s a structural shift in healthcare. Telehealth usage remains significantly higher than pre-2020 levels, and providers across disciplines are rethinking how to deliver higher-quality outcomes without the overhead and insurance constraints of traditional clinics. Meanwhile, recreational and endurance sports participation continues to rise, with millions of Americans registering…

Hospitals and surgery centers own millions of dollars in equipment — but owning assets and having actionable visibility into them are two different things. Most systems maintain inventories, yet many struggle with outdated records, fragmented tracking, and limited insight into useful life or service contracts. With nearly half of U.S. hospitals reporting negative operating…

Behind every city vote, hospital budget or zoning decision is a leader navigating tough, often conflicting priorities. Right now, public leaders are operating in an environment of rising healthcare costs, workforce shortages and heightened community expectations—especially within safety-net systems that collectively provide billions in uncompensated care each year. The stakes are real—they affect patients…

The Rothman Index, developed by Dr. Michael Rothman and his brother Steven, is a pioneering patient acuity score designed to help clinicians recognize patient deterioration earlier and more clearly. Presented as an easily understood, color-coded graph that updates in real time, the Index displays upward and downward trends in patient condition at a glance—transforming…

Hospitals collect enormous amounts of clinical data, yet preventable patient decline remains a persistent challenge. Over the past two decades, hospitals have invested heavily in early warning scores and rapid response infrastructure, but translating data into timely, meaningful action has proven difficult. As clinicians contend with alert fatigue and increasing documentation burden, a more…

Healthcare generates enormous volumes of clinical data, yet making sense of that information in real time remains a challenge. Subtle changes in vitals, labs, and nursing assessments often precede serious events, but when that information is fragmented across the medical record, emerging risks can go unnoticed. The central challenge facing hospitals today is not…

The Care Anywhere podcast is spotlighting a new global partnership designed to strengthen pediatric nursing education and recognition worldwide. In this episode, host Lea Sims sits down with leaders from TruMerit and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) to unpack a new pediatric nursing micro-credential pathway launching in 2026, and why it…

As healthcare systems worldwide face rising costs, workforce shortages, and increasing pressure to balance quality with financial sustainability, traditional classroom-based management education is struggling to keep pace. According to the World Economic Forum, healthcare spending now accounts for nearly 10% of global GDP, making leadership decision-making more consequential—and more complex—than ever. At the same…

Insurance denials aren’t new, but they’re hitting a breaking point right now. As prior authorizations surge and patients face longer delays for everything from imaging to specialty drugs, more providers are realizing that the “payer” on the card often isn’t the one truly holding the reins. A growing share of Americans are covered…

Recognition is often described as a “nice to have” in healthcare, but on this episode of Care Anywhere, it’s framed as something far more essential. Host Lea Sims sits down with Deb Zimmermann, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Chief Executive Officer of The DAISY Foundation, and Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, co-founder of the organization, to explore…

As the Patient Monitoring series concludes, the conversation shifts from today’s challenges to tomorrow’s possibilities. This final episode of the five-part Health and Life Sciences at the Edge series looks ahead to what healthcare could become if patient monitoring gets it right. Intel’s Kaeli Tully is joined by Sudha Yellapantula, Senior Researcher at Medical…

Episode 4 of The Future of Patient Monitoring takes a step back from infrastructure and innovation to explore something deeper: the people behind the technology—and what they’ve learned through years of building smarter systems. Part of the Health and Life Sciences at the Edge podcast series, this conversation is led by Intel’s Kaeli Tully,…

As hospitals look beyond the ICU to improve outcomes across the entire continuum of care, a key question emerges: how do you expand patient monitoring without overwhelming clinicians with more alarms, more noise, and more work? This episode—part three of a five-part Health and Life Sciences at the Edge series exploring The Future of…

As hospitals look to improve outcomes with faster, more informed decisions, infrastructure limitations remain a major hurdle. This episode—part two of a five-part Health and Life Sciences at the Edge series exploring The Future of Patient Monitoring—dives into what’s holding back smarter, more connected care. Intel’s Andrew Lamkin, AI Solutions Architect, and Bikram Day,…

Denials are no longer a slow leak in the revenue cycle—they’re a fast-moving, rule-shifting game controlled by payers, and hospitals that don’t model denial patterns in real time end up budgeting around losses they could have prevented. PayerWatch’s four-digit, client-verified ROI in 2024 shows what happens when a hospital stops reacting claim by…

In “Fighting for Coverage,” a patient describes a double war: the physical fight to stay alive and the bureaucratic fight to prove to an insurer that her life is worth the cost. Her account spotlights a core tension in the U.S. system—coverage decisions are increasingly shaped by prior authorizations and desk-based reviewers who…

The sustainability of the healthcare system won’t be secured by another round of cost-cutting or clever benefit design alone, but by a hard cultural pivot toward alignment: payers, providers, employers, and patient advocates pulling on the same rope instead of grading each other on different exams. Right now we’ve built a maze that…

Patients shouldn’t have to become their own case managers just to access a hip replacement, transplant, or any other life-changing procedure; the moment they’re pushed into a paperwork fight, the system has already shifted its burden onto the sick. In a functional healthcare model, clinicians and their teams handle the insurer negotiations behind…