Community Benefit
According to research that was presented last week at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2012, the differences in regional readmission rates for heart failure are more closely connected with the availability of care and socioeconomics rather than with hospital performance or a patient's degree of illness.
The Obama administration released the country's first national plan to address Alzheimer's disease on Tuesday. Calling it a roadmap, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the new national plan "addresses every aspect of what it is to confront Alzheimer's disease."
The American Medical Association (AMA) launched a free Web-based educational course this week to help physicians address the driving safety of their older patients.
According to a new report released by the Hospital Association of Rhode Island (HARI), Rhode Island hospitals contributed more than $6.3 billion to the state's economy in 2010.
Two companies in Maine have recently teamed up to provide an innovative and affordable healthcare plan to employees. The plan not only pays claims but also rewards those in good health with cash incentives.
According to a HealthLeaders Media report released last week, nearly half (46 percent) of healthcare leaders around the country have emergency departments that are overcrowded. Furthermore, 51 percent of those respondents also said that they are very concerned that the overcrowding issue will jeopardize patient safety.
According to a recent report done by the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C., California could save $3.6 million a year by reducing the prevalence of chronic conditions, like diabetes and heart conditions, by just 1 percent.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is taking new steps towards reducing unnecessary and obsolete regulations on U.S. hospitals and healthcare providers. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebellius announced on Thursday the steps will save nearly $1.1 billion across the healthcare system in the first year and more than $5 billion over five years.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the availability of $75 million in funding for the construction and renovation of school-based health centers.
Two-thirds of adults and one-third of children are overweight or obese in the U.S., resulting in an annual cost of $190.2 billion for treating weight-related illness, according to the Institute of Medicine, which released a report Tuesday offering recommendations for combatting the problem.