Quality and Safety

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Friday said it has awarded more than $110 million to 17 hospital associations and health systems to support efforts in reducing patient harm tied to preventable medical errors and hospital-acquired conditions.

Dedicated funding is needed for research, the report says, and hospitals and doctors need to develop better ways to identify, reduce and learn from "near misses."

A new consumer website unveiled Monday by the California Department of Insurance hopes to help Californians better shop for health care based on both quality and price.

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has closed its cardiothoracic intensive care unit after at least one patient was confirmed to have developed a fungal infection as a result of mold being found in the unit.

In North Carolina, Brookdale Home Health Charlotte was one of just two agencies out of more than 170 in the state to earn five stars.

Munir Uwaydah, 49, owner of Frontline Medical, his personal lawyer and his former office manager are among 15 defendants named in the case that also alleges surgical procedures were performed by a physician's assistant who never attended medical school.

Payment initiatives and increasing patient expectations are slowly forcing changes, encouraging doctors to be better listeners and more sensitive.

Two Geisinger researchers, leading a large team of investigators, have been awarded more than $3.5 million as part of a national effort to better understand the genetic basis of disease.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is offering a series of grants of up to $1.5 million for research projects that examine patient safety in ambulatory care and long-term facilities.

Partners HealthCare, one of the largest hospital operators in Massachusetts, this week opened its first walk-in urgent care clinic as more hospital operators rush to open clinics to provide better, more accessible care for pressing medical issues.