The career of a registered nurse is immensely popular for people who want to make a difference by choosing to work in the medical field. But what are the benefits of being a nurse?
There are a lot of advantages of being a nurse that will make you want to consider choosing a nursing career. Not only will you get to help and care for others in need, but you’ll make good money doing it.
Continue reading to learn about the biggest advantages of being a nurse.
Benefits of Being a Nurse
The list of benefits that come with being a nurse is long and impressive. Some are beneficial if you want to live a more flexible lifestyle, while other benefits are geared more towards the satisfaction that helping others brings.
It is also helpful that nursing is in high demand. People are living longer than ever and there aren’t enough nurses to help everyone. This means that there is a shortage of nurses across the country.
Here is a closer look at some of the benefits of being a nurse in the United States.
Caring for Others
Choosing a career in nursing brings the benefit of getting to help other people every day. You’ll literally be saving peoples’ lives with the work that you do. It is hard to think of a career more fulfilling than that of healthcare workers.
While it might be stressful at times, you’ll get the satisfaction of knowing that you’re making a difference in the lives of others as well as in your community. You’ll also have a great opportunity to help others by enrolling in a nursing assistant program.
Work Shifts
While most jobs have you work eight or more hours per day for five days per week, nursing is different. Nurses usually work 12-hour shifts but only do that for three days per week. This opens up a ton of time in your schedule to have a great work-life balance.
You’ll be working longer hours, but you’ll also have two extra days that are completely open the rest of the week. This gives you more time to do the things that you enjoy when you’re away from your job.
By Ron Singh, senior vice president of coordination of benefits, HMS.
Ron Singh
As healthcare policies, regulations and payment models continue to shift in response to the ongoing pandemic, payment accuracy has grown increasingly complex and important as health plans, providers and state agencies alike strive to uncover revenue and additional savings wherever possible. Ensuring the accuracy of billing and payment for Medicaid members has risen to the top of the priority list for payers, yet significant barriers to success remain.
Coordination of Benefits (COB), also known as Third Party Liability (TPL), is a cornerstone of payment accuracy and a high-powered cost control system that keeps provider’s and health plan’s healthcare programs strong. State Medicaid agencies and health plans, both public and private, use COB programs to ensure the appropriate payers are always billed for patient care. Around 20% of Medicaid members have access to other healthcare coverage, and it is often difficult for health plans and providers to identify when this is the case, contributing to astonishing waste, including the $56 billion of improper Medicaid spending in 2019 alone.
Allowing providers to operate with a full understanding of available benefits and enhancing efficiencies across the care continuum helps with getting the appropriate prior authorizations. There may be services covered in the commercial health plan but not under Medicaid, giving patients more options. Individuals can be dually enrolled in Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial health benefits, so when patients know the full scope of available coverage prior to care or billing, care teams operate more efficiently and increase patient satisfaction by maximizing use of all coverage sources.
COB programs have significantly helped to improve accurate payment and billing. However, amid the current health crisis and with Medicaid enrollment on the rise, organizations must strengthen payment accuracy efforts with real-time insight into eligibility and member coverage through the use of data-driven COB technologies. By utilizing these strategic solutions, healthcare organizations can improve care coordination and billing, reduce unnecessary costs and ensure providers are reimbursed correctly the first time.
Best Practices for Enhanced COB Programs and Efforts
With the adoption of COB and payment accuracy solutions, Medicaid agencies and health plans can quickly identify all relevant coverage at the point of enrollment or prior authorization, helping to preserve the integrity of Medicaid as a payer of last resort and significantly reducing costs and administrative burdens for both payers and providers.
The rapid collection of member data in various formats from multiple sources, for example, is a major component of COB success. The data needs to be constantly refreshed and should cover all claim types so that it meets members’ needs based on their fast and frequently changing healthcare coverage. To ensure the best possible match, organizations also need detailed data from all major health plans, as well as state and regional plans made accessible via payment accuracy technology.
Minority communities are incredibly diverse, particularly when looking at population mix and rural vs. urban areas. From different household makeups and risk factors to varying engagement preferences, that diversity also impacts health outcomes—a reality laid bare by COVID-19.
An analysis by Carrot Health found that rural communities bear the highest burden of COVID-19, while Black and Hispanic populations are the most adversely impacted by the virus.
This infographic takes a closer look at diverse communities with large Black and Hispanic populations, information that can be leveraged to improve health outcomes, member engagement, costs and public health.
By Andrei Klubnikin, content management team lead, ITRex.
Although the amount of US healthcare organizations that utilize patient portal software increased from 32% in 2014 to 90% in early 2019, less than a quarter of patients are willing to use the tools to schedule an appointment with a physician, view medical data and get tips for chronic disease self-management.
Patients’ ambivalence towards the technology can be largely attributed to healthcare data interoperability issues and administrative barriers to obtaining access to medical records. Furthermore, most patients still live under the paradigm of encounter-based medicine and perceive medical portals as useful only around the time of a physician office visit.
In an attempt to boost patient portal engagement and usage, medical professionals add multiple functions to healthcare software solutions. In this article, we will review patient portal features essential to engage the target audience and provide approximate patient portal development cost estimates.
Must-have Patient Portal Features as Reported by Healthcare Providers
In a nutshell, a patient portal is the user-facing component of an electronic health record (EHR) solution, which is intended to simplify patients’ access to medical data — i.e., physician notes, laboratory results, billing information, — and drive patient participation.
According to CHiME 2018 Healthcare’s Most Wired survey, the majority of healthcare facilities — with the exception of rural and critical access hospitals — have already incorporated robust communication, mobile and convenience capabilities into patient portal software. The reported enhancements include live chat enabling patients to directly contact care team and billing staff, automatic prescription refills, appointment scheduling and personal health data management. Additionally, 90% of respondents offer some form of telehealth services and take the device-agnostic approach to portal design to improve user experience on mobile devices.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a number of personal health data challenges for both healthcare organizations and private businesses alike. From vaccine passport requirements and businesses handling incredibly sensitive information on their employees, to healthcare workers accessing sensitive patient data while working from home, the health crisis has created unprecedented data security and compliance challenges for employers and healthcare providers.
COVID-19’s Impact on Data Security
When COVID-19 first hit, many healthcare organizations shifted to a partially remote workforce overnight. This meant that healthcare administrators were using personal devices and had access to systems and data that they previously could only access on their employers’ network. The focus was on productivity and business continuity, not cybersecurity.
However, over a year later, we are still using this makeshift IT environment and the increased cyber risks have not been addressed. By accessing patients’ private healthcare information from personal devices or home networks, administrators are doubling or tripling the risk of a breach.
Why Do Criminals Want Healthcare Data?
There are several regulations designed to protect personal data, but health data presents unique challenges. For example, if my credit card were stolen, I can be assured that PCI would cover any losses due to my banks’ contractual obligations with credit card companies. However, my health data – including DNA, disease history and medical conditions – are fully unique. No one can reimburse me with a new set of personal health information!
Criminals understand this, which has led to a rise in personal health data being stolen. Many hackers are now breaching health systems’ networks for personal information, and demanding ransom from individuals to keep that data private.
Furthermore, healthcare workers have been under increased pressure due to the pandemic, which has made hospitals and health systems a more appealing and “softer” target for hackers.
Joining a growing number of healthcare organizations to embrace tele-rehab, UT Health East Texas at Ardent Medical Services recently licensed the TheraNow Platform to provide telemedicine and remote physical therapy treatment to its patients throughout East Texas.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth undergone a rapid expansion in terms of function, accessibility, offering and capabilities. Multiple platforms have emerged capable of addressing health concerns ranging from general healthcare and mental health to hands-on healthcare capabilities including physical therapy.
At-Home Rehab
The UT Health East Texas partnership with TheraNow gives its recovering patients the option of physical therapy and rehabilitation services at home under the guidance of their physician or therapist. The TheraNow platform provides patients with personalized, prescribed one-on-one video therapy sessions with licensed therapists via their laptops or mobile device. The TheraNow app monitors progress with outcome tracking that helps the therapist to build an effective progressive rehabilitation program.
“When I was initially introduced to TheraNow, I was very impressed with the capabilities to help patients prepare for joint replacement surgery to optimize their outcome and the opportunity to have post-procedure therapy at home through the telehealth platform. I am pleased that our orthopedic surgeons have embraced this technology and that UTHET Rehabilitation Services is also beginning to provide this option to their patients,” said Vicki Briggs, CEO, UT Health Tyler at Ardent Health Services.
Briggs adds that she has first-hand experience with TheraNow, which she used for at-home physical therapy following hip replacement surgery. Her therapist instructed her on performing the exercises and also monitored her progress.
“It was an added benefit to see videos of the exercises to refresh me on exactly how to do them when I was not online with the therapist,” she said. “I was also much more motivated to stay on track with the schedule since I had to check in daily when I performed the exercises and note on the application how I was doing. I was 100% pleased with this experience and had a great outcome.”
UT Health Rehabilitation Hospital Administrator Laurie Lenhof notes that TheraNow is an innovative way for the rehabilitation hospital to provide therapy to patients at home—a treatment options they are “thrilled to extend to our community.”
She adds: “We can also reach beyond our usual service area as the distance becomes less of a barrier. Our rehabilitation leaders and therapists worked diligently to make this new project a reality and are eager to see it grow.”
A career as a counselor can be incredibly gratifying, as it allows you to impact the lives of people of all ages profoundly. You can guide them through various issues, ranging from interpersonal, situational, vocational, and educational, and build their resilience to help them tackle such matters independently.
However, while a job as a counselor may be rewarding, it also requires immense dedication. Counselors need to always be on their best behavior, as they encounter people from various backgrounds with traumatic stories. These people may often come from backgrounds different from yours, and they may have beliefs you disagree with. Therefore, a counselor needs solid skills to adapt to every new situation and treat each client with the same degree of respect and empathy.
If you’re a counselor looking to brush up on your skills, there are numerous ways to do so. Below, we’ll discuss the top four ways to improve as a counselor.
The healthcare business of LexisNexis Risk Solutions announced a collaboration with Carrot Health, a provider of solutions powered by consumer and healthcare data. The collaboration enables Carrot Health to incorporate social determinants of health (SDoH) data from LexisNexis Risk Solutions into its SDoH data and analytics software platform to guide payer and provider decisions around member engagement and health management.
Through this collaboration, Carrot Health will integrate clinically-validated SDoH attributes from LexisNexis Risk Solutions into its existing Social Risk Grouper (SRG) taxonomy and other predictive models that leverage vast consumer and healthcare data. These insights will inform consumer-centric strategies to improve health outcomes, reduce costs and prevent readmissions.
Kurt Waltenbaugh
“Consumer attributes are among the most powerful factors influencing health outcomes, creating barriers and inequities that prevent populations from leading their healthiest lives. Carrot Health’s SRG harnesses this information to measure and monitor social determinants of health at the individual level, providing comprehensive insights our customers need to design strategies for identifying and closing gaps in care while providing a more personalized member experience,” said Kurt Waltenbaugh, CEO, Carrot Health. “We chose LexisNexis Risk Solutions after extensive evaluation and testing because their consumer data proved to be the most accurate and comprehensive in the market. We are excited about this addition to our platform as we continue to help payers improve member health.”
Carrot Health’s platform harnesses clinical, social, economic, behavioral, and environmental data to deliver insights for growth, health, and quality, providing health plans with a 360-degree view of their members. Carrot Health is delivering the healthcare industry’s first solution for consumer insights at scale, along with individual-level SDOH scoring and monitoring for every adult in the United States.
This scoring model helps predict the likelihood of an individual having an adverse health outcome due to their SDoH profile. The data from LexisNexis Risk solutions will augment Carrot Health predictive models, that already includes consumer data, ICD-10 Z-codes, publicly available health indicators, claims, survey responses, and other proprietary data ? providing unmatched accuracy to a scoring model.
COVID-19 has hit almost every one of us so hard. Considering the chaos it brought, each of us going through a rough patch. Whether it is the financial crisis, social distancing, fear of losing loved ones or tackling the after-effects of job termination; mental stress and anxiety have been part of our lives. And the irony is we cannot even reach out for help due to the imposition of strict lockdown.
The only thing which seems accessible and affordable is the online therapy sessions being offered by different platforms. But not every platform that seems to be appealing is perfect to offer reliable mental health solutions to its users with the help of industry expert psychologists. This is the reason why we are discussing Calmerry here today; to help you understand the platform and the benefits that you can reap from this incredible platform and its certified mental health experts.
Calmerry gives offers a chance to individuals by providing psychological help to enhance their quality of mental health. It is a group of experienced professionals specialized in various fields of the industry. If you are experiencing psychological issues, mental stress. having difficulty in private life or maintaining relationships; Calmerry is the platform that has individuals expert related to different fields to help you seek the right professional help needed, to help you address all of your problems and allow you to live a happy and healthy lifestyle.
Calmerry is a professional platform that emphasis on the psychological well-being of people by providing support and guidance on how to make the most of their life by introducing various therapies. Calmerry is among the best therapy services provided online. It is the best solution provider for those who are battling a mental or emotional challenge. Due to Calmerry, you get to seek assistance in depression management, help to cope with mood swings, improves personal self-esteem; and any kind of trauma, abuse, or grief.
How does Calmerry work?
On Calmerry you can visit to seek help for any psychological issue or mental health and get the exact e-therapy you need from expert professionals. Calmerry has a simple and user-friendly interface. You need to start by creating an account on the platform by entering your basic information and contact details; you are allowed to keep your identification anonymous by and maintaining your confidentiality and using a nickname. It simply takes a few minutes to create your account.
Later you are asked to fill a questionnaire that is regarding your issue and the reason you are at the platform. You are advised to fill the questionnaire as accurately as possible; the concept of this form is to get to know you better and help you get the right aid and the best therapist to in solving your issues. You will be asked for your financial budget as well; this way the platform gets to shortlist the experts available in your spending limit. After submitting the form, it will take 24 hours to assign you the appropriate professional. Once you are assigned with the expert, you can now share the contact information with your counselor and select the mode of communication whether video calling or text sessions.
Initially, the Agile methodology was invented to fasten development processes in the software field while maintaining product quality. Instead of using slower traditional methods, Agile helped speed up value delivery using short sprints and end-user feedback for improvements. The approach focused on interactions and individuals over tools and processes and collaboration with customers other than contract negotiation. Other target points were efficient software over exhaustive documentation and response to change rather than following plans.
Today, Agile has been adopted by many industries, other than the software development sector. Despite this, the healthcare sector has been slower in accepting the methodology. In other fields, Agile is used as an incremental and iterative methodology used in project management to assist teams in meeting the current workplace demands. It utilizes various frameworks like Kanban, SCRUM, etcetera. All these are, centered on continuous process improvement, transparency, flexibility, and quality. You can learn more about these Agile structures by reviewing the available online resources or other research materials.
How Agile Principles And The Healthcare Industry Relate
You can describe an agile organization as one that adapts faster and efficiently to rapid change, which is essential. Those that aren’t, however, find it hard to keep up with the ever-changing market conditions. The healthcare industry can benefit hugely by using continuous process improvement methodologies like Agile. For instance, they can give better patient care and cut costs. Additionally, Agile can boost innovations and enhance the technologies used in healthcare for both business and clinical processes.
It’s said that the healthcare sector mostly utilizes traditional methods that may negatively affect performance. It has also been mentioned that only a small percentage of healthcare leaders are aware of Agile. However, the small group that utilizes this methodology has reported that their teams achieve more with Agile than conventional methods. That being so, the industry continues to grow, and numerous regulatory and financial pressures surround it. Therefore, adopting Agile principles increases effective and efficient management of the existing services and resources.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a number of personal health data challenges for both healthcare organizations and private businesses alike. From vaccine passport requirements and businesses handling incredibly sensitive information on their employees, to healthcare workers accessing sensitive patient data while working from home, the health crisis has created unprecedented data security and compliance challenges for employers and healthcare providers.
