Quality and Safety
A bill introduced in the House this week by Reps. Allyson Schwartz (D-Penn.) and Joe Heck, MD, (R-Nev.) has once again raised hopes that the sustainable growth rate formula (SGR) payment model for Medicare can finally be repealed.
Keeping shelves stocked and enough supplies in their place is one of the most important aspects of managing any hospital department efficiently and safely. Monica Goetz, clinical nursing manager at Great Baltimore Medical Center, shares five key ways that electronic supply management can improve patient safety, create efficiencies and save money.
Hennepin County, Minnesota, is getting better outcomes with lower costs in a high-cost segment of its Medicaid population by being flexible and more targeted in meeting the needs of these patients learned an audience at the National Health Policy Conference Tuesday.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will develop a new records system aimed at facilitating quality reporting for long-term hospital care, according to Wednesday's Federal Register.
An online clinic launched in 2010 by non-profit HMO HealthPartners for the diagnosis and treatment of 40 simple medical conditions showed an average savings of $88 per episode over care in a traditional setting, providing hope for the future of online medical care.
Emergency medicine has been plagued in recent years with problems like physician shortages and diversion, or turning away ambulances because of overcrowding. One solution being used in many areas to reduce congestion and cut costs is the employment of nurse practitioners.
New research finds that many seniors who switch from their HMO-style Medicare Advantage plan to traditional Medicare have higher levels of significant health problems, fueling concerns that the private plans cater to more profitable, healthy beneficiaries but don't provide the most attractive care for the very ill.
Carolyn Clancy, MD, will step down as director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) after 10 years leading the organization.
On Thursday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it had selected more than 500 healthcare organizations to participate in its Bundled Payment for Care Improvement initiative, a program to test how bundling payments for episodes of care can improve care coordination and lower overall Medicare expenditures.
The earlier hospitals begin to plan and strategize for how they will handle the healthcare environment once health insurance exchanges are operational, the better, said Purva Rawal, senior manager of health reform at Avalere Health, during a webinar Thursday.