Quality and Safety
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.
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.
With incidents of data breaches on the rise in recent years, cyber insurance is growing in popularity as a way of mitigating risk.
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.
In a move that anticipates the increase in the number of people insured through state Medicaid programs as a result of the Affordable Care Act, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced yesterday a two-year, $11 billion program that will help states bring Medicaid payments for primary care services in line with those paid by Medicare.