Maureen Bonatch
Healthcare Writer/Fiction Author
Freelance healthcare writer, content creator and ghost writer. Extensive experience in nursing administration, leadership and psychiatric nursing. Multi-published fiction author.
PROJECTS
carecloud.com
What is Population Health Management (PHM)?
Population health management (PHM) refers to a concentrated holistic approach to improving the patient health outcomes of a group of individuals. These individuals are part of a larger group that could consist of people within a predetermined health system, a geographic area, those with a specific disease or ones sharing another defined characteristic. The move away from patient fee-for-service to a value-based model has made managing population health the focus for most Accountable Care Orga...
carecloud.com
What is Revenue Cycle Management (RCM)?
Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) refers to the process of identifying, collecting and managing the practice’s revenue from payers based on the services provided. A successful RCM process is essential for a healthcare practice to maintain financial viability and continue to provide quality care for their patients.
The move toward value-based reimbursement and more holistic patient care has required healthcare providers to take a closer look at the way they approach revenue cycle management. Poor...
carecloud.com
2018 Alternative Payment Models (APMs) Overview
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) was updated by CMS to continue to move healthcare providers from fee-for-service payment, or volume-based, to value-based patient care. As a part of the reform, Quality Payment Program (QPP) policy reforms Medicare Part B payments for clinicians across the country, and is a major step in improving care across the entire health care delivery system. Clinicians can choose how they want to participate in QPP based on their practice...
carecloud.com
Value-Based Reimbursement in 2018
Value-based reimbursement has healthcare providers striving to transform the way they deliver patient care by shifting from rewarding volume, as associated with a fee-for-service model, to value. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) plans to encourage providers to continue redefining their way of thinking so that by the end of 2018, half of traditional Medicare based payments should be linked with a value-based reimbursement model. This transition works toward the goal of bett...
oncnursingnews.com
From Nurse to Freelance Writer
A diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency as a teenager, and later of autoimmune disease, didn’t discourage Ashley Hay, BSN, RN, from pursuing her dreams. Maintaining a positive attitude helped her circumvent professional roadblocks while managing chronic illness to craft a successful nursing career alongside, and away from, the bedside.
A DESIRE TO MAKE A LASTING DIFFERENCE
Ashley Hay has always loved writing. When the time came to choose a career path, she initially considered journalism but ...
carecloud.com
What is an Accountable Care Organization (ACO)?
Change is inevitable. This is especially true for the provision of healthcare. The desire to improve the delivery of quality care and provide the most accessible and affordable care that meets the needs of the patient and the provider, lead to the introduction of The Affordable Care Act (ACA). The implementation of the ACA resulted in changes in patient population demographics as an influx of previously uninsured individuals in the United States (U.S.) acquired healthcare coverage. This surge...
gopractice.kareo.com
Telemedicine and Rural Mental Health Services
Many rural areas lack access to mental health services, which may inadvertently exclude clients from care. Alternatives to traditional in-person therapy are needed. The utilization of telemedicine, or secure video visits, seems an obvious step to increase available rural mental health services.
Virtual mental health treatment, often referred to as "telemental health" or "telepsychiatry," can help overcome obstacles to treatment, increase access to providers, and offer additional benefits for ...
gopractice.kareo.com
4 Ways e-Prescribing Improves Quality Care
Paper prescriptions served a good purpose for many years. But providers are now taking advantage of the latest advances in electronic prescribing technology to improve their clinical workflow and to offer patients a modern convenience that they will appreciate and remember when making that next appointment. Not to mention that e-Prescribing helps clinicians easily meet a MIPS measure under the MACRA Quality Payment Program.
Dr. Tom Giannulli, M.D., M.S. and Chief Medical Information Officer a...
quill.com
How to prevent repetitive strain injury (RSI) at work
If you thought having an office job would exclude you from work related injuries other than a paper cut, you would be wrong. Working in an office often means performing repetitive tasks and spending hours in awkward or uncomfortable positions. These actions, and others specific to the daily tasks of office workers, put you at risk for developing Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).
When I moved into an administrative nursing position, I reduced my risk for some potential physical injuries resultin...
allnurses.com
A Negative Workplace Can Be Contagious
Positivity can breed productivity, and it sure makes for a more pleasant day. Although being surrounded by negativity in the workplace can sap your energy, happiness and productivity. So how can you put your best foot forward at work each day when pessimistic coworkers make you want to run for the door?
We spend a large part of our day at work. Unfortunately, there are times when it may feel as if it doesn't matter how good our day begins, because once our feet hit the work floor, we know our...
allnurses.com
Unexpected Side Effects from the Side Gig
The gig economy keeps growing, and starting a side gig in addition to a regular job might offer unexpected benefits. Opportunities to expand our professional network and our minds, in addition to our wallet, might follow when we move out of our comfort zone to learn something new.
A side gig is something you do to add to your income in addition to your regular job. Having a side gig has become more common with many people cashing in on a variety of things. The new endeavor may have nothing to...
allnurses.com
When You Can't Take a Day Off-Even When You're Off
7
There are many benefits to taking a break from work, but you must take the time-- mentally as well as physically. A multitude of reasons might result in an inability to take time off or an unwillingness to disengage from email and social media which might defeat the benefits of the mental break.
We might look forward to a vacation for weeks, months, or maybe all year, only to discover that once it arrives we still can't stop thinking about, or completing, work. That tropical destination has...
allnurses.com
Is It Me? Or My Generation?
Sometimes it might seem like we just can’t mesh well younger or older employees. Is it us? Or is it our generation? While no one likes to be categorized, many people who grew up in a specific timeframe and were exposed to similar experiences end up with shared beliefs and values. Perhaps taking the time to recognize this and embrace our differences might help us work better with different generations of nurses.
While attending nursing school, I worked my way through various roles at my job at...
allnurses.com
What's Your Why That Motivates You?
3
We all have the same twenty-four hours a day, yet we each accomplish different tasks in this time. Some of us push ourselves to the limit to meet a specific goal, while others find contentment with what comes our way. Considering what motivated you to go to nursing school or to take that job might help you find happiness in your job, or to determine when it’s time to move on and to cope with changing roles.
Most of us have days when we must dig deep to maintain progress toward our goals. It...
allnurses.com
Look Beyond Your Older Patient's Medical Complaints
3
Mental health issues are prevalent among the elderly, although often your patient won’t admit to emotional distress. Most will share a range of medical complaints, but often hesitate to share feelings of depression, anxiety or isolation due to embarrassment or the belief that this is a normal part of aging. Increasing your awareness of your elderly patient’s emotional health and the provision of education to family and caregivers might help uncover underlying mental health issues.
Many of u...