Mary Ellen Podmolik

Chicago

Editor-in-Chief at Modern Healthcare

Editor-in-chief, @modrnhealthcr. Ex-director of content/business editor @chicagotribune. @MarquetteU warrior. Purdue mom 2x. IU mom.

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Articles

From the editor: Nursing home residents deserve better

Dec 6, 2024 | modernhealthcare.com | Mary Ellen Podmolik

The pandemic gave much of the country a glimpse of the sorry state of some nursing homes. But there have always been troubled nursing homes, places you wouldn’t choose for a dear relative. Driving by the typically squat, nondescript buildings on your daily commute or weekend errands, you don’t think about them — that is until you find yourself confronted with a set of circumstances requiring hard decisions about where to place a family member.
Thomas Jefferson University displays the patient care experience

Sep 5, 2024 | modernhealthcare.com | Mary Ellen Podmolik

September 13, 2024 05:00 AMJefferson University HospitalThomas Jefferson University's exhibit ”Convalescence” explores healthcare inequities. Mary Ellen PodmolikEditor-in-ChiefArt exhibits can promote a visceral reaction. The one that just opened along a hallway of windows on Thomas Jefferson University’s health sciences campus certainly does just that.
From the editor: Technology can improve our lives, but not without trust

Mar 8, 2024 | modernhealthcare.com | Mary Ellen Podmolik

Our phones and computers give us such easy access to so many things—we can communicate with anyone, shop until we drop, get tickets to a big game, pay bills, navigate our way on untraveled roads and yes, check our medical records, test results and request the next doctor’s appointment. For us, and the companies we rely on, it’s often a matter of keystrokes. It’s so convenient, so satisfying, so simple.
From the editor: Healthcare hiring is hot. To compete, employers should look within.

Feb 9, 2024 | modernhealthcare.com | Mary Ellen Podmolik

The January jobs report from the Labor Department, released earlier this month, created a certain amount of breathlessness on the part of those paid to watch employment trends. The takeaway: Hiring is hot. That’s certainly true in healthcare, where employment increased by 70,000 jobs in January. The biggest gains were in ambulatory healthcare services, up 33,000 positions, and hospitals, up 20,000, according to the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
health-equity-2024-aha-cms Will 2024 be the tipping point for health equity?

Jan 5, 2024 | modernhealthcare.com | Mary Ellen Podmolik

Some people don’t make New Year’s resolutions because they don’t believe in them or worry they’re setting themselves up for failure. Others, like me, start with the best intentions in what’s become an annual refrain: Save more money. Get involved in a worthy cause. Eat better. Exercise more. It’s really all about health—physical, mental and spiritual. A focus on well-being should be something we embrace year-round.
Editor's picks: Catch up on a busy 2023

Dec 21, 2023 | modernhealthcare.com | Mary Ellen Podmolik

Modern Healthcare reporters had a lot of territory to cover in 2023 as the industry's landscape shifted to account for new players and strategies, mergers, labor actions and layoffs. And as it does every year, our newsroom brought readers the headlines along with the insights and analysis needed to make sense of it all. Want to catch up on a busy year? Check out these stories.
Modern Healthcare is evolving along with the industry

Dec 15, 2023 | modernhealthcare.com | Mary Ellen Podmolik

It’s been a year of incredible change in healthcare, and there’s no reason to expect 2024 to be any different. The industry has plenty of newcomers, both in terms of decision-makers leading advancements and companies seeking to upset the status quo or take a piece of the pie. And rapid developments in artificial intelligence could provoke a tectonic shift in technology’s ability to simplify tasks and solve problems. It’s an exciting time to be journalists covering the industry.
From the editor: Authentic leadership sounds like a strong principle for healthcare

Dec 1, 2023 | modernhealthcare.com | Mary Ellen Podmolik

It’s the time of year when pundits, consultants and yes, journalists, start coming out with their year-in-review reflections and look ahead for the next 12 months. Even Merriam-Webster gets in on the fun, annually announcing its word of the year based on searches. Merriam-Webster’s word for 2023 is “authentic.”Related: The 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare, 2023That announcement came just days before the Nov. 30 first anniversary of OpenAI’s release of the public version of ChatGPT.
From the editor: Technology can’t replace the patient-provider relationship

Nov 17, 2023 | modernhealthcare.com | Mary Ellen Podmolik

While booking a medical appointment for our dog recently at a large veterinary practice, I held out for a time with a doctor who’d seen the dog before, reasoning that the vet knew her background and my dog might recognize the doctor. The two had, I guessed, a relationship.
From the editor: Healthcare marketing that stands out from the crowd

Nov 3, 2023 | modernhealthcare.com | Mary Ellen Podmolik

Television commercials can be the best part of the Super Bowl, as brewers, automakers, financial companies and other sellers of products and services promote themselves as much as their wares. The marketing of healthcare frequently requires a much different strategy and level of gamesmanship. In addition to potentially difficult subject matters, the different audiences of consumer and industry players can make it a challenge to develop the right message and find the best outlet for a campaign.