Quality and Safety
Nearly nine-of-ten members of the general public think the cost of healthcare in this country is a serious problem and two-thirds say the problem has gotten worse in the past five years according to a new poll by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), NPR and Harvard School of Public Health.
Opposition to the legalization of medicinal marijuana in the absence of scientific studies that demonstrate its safety and efficacy led the list of resolutions adopted by physicians of the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) at the organization's annual meeting of its House of Delegates on May 19 in Boston.
Care managers take the time that physicians often don't have to get to know patients who have chronic and multiple conditions and require a lot of services. The use of care managers in this new Hudson Valley-based program is already showing improved results for readmissions.
The Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) announced Friday this year's winners of the MAP Award for High Performance in Revenue Cycle. Seventeen organizations received the honor.
According to two recent studies conducted by several researchers at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, there is a correlation between hospital readmission rates and how full the hospital was at the time of discharge. This suggests that many patients went home earlier than they should have.
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 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.
Long-term care pharmacy provider, Omnicare, has reached a settlement with the Justice Department that is the largest controlled substance settlement in history, said the Drug Enforcement Administration.
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.