Less than 1% of health plan premiums spent on quality
Health insurance providers have spent less than 1% of the premium dollars they collected from policy holders on quality initiatives, a Commonwealth Fund study said. Source: HealthLeaders Media
View ArticleDon’t know why there’s no sun up in the sky...stormy weather!
In case you’ve not heard (I don’t see as much info on the various list servs I monitor when it comes to the timing of the unannounced survey process), there have been some instances this year when...
View ArticlePhysicians hold group appointments to see more patients
Some physicians are turning to group appointments—seeing groups of patients with the same the medical condition at the same time—in response to limited resources, the Washington Post. The Family...
View ArticleSurvey reveals high frequency and common reasons behind hiring locum tenens
At least 75% of healthcare facility administrators report using temporary physicians, aka locum tenens, in the past 12 months, according to a survey conducted by the healthcare staffing group Staff...
View ArticleQ/A: Is CMS reducing payment for CPT code 77371?
Q: We heard that CMS will reduce payment for CPT® code 77371 (radiation treatment delivery, stereotactic radiosurgery [SRS], complete course of treatment of cranial lesion(s) consisting of 1 session;...
View ArticleReduced work hours may increase errors among residents
New research may support what medical educators have feared – that the ACGME’s recent work hour reductions may increase actually increase errors.Researchers from Johns Hopkins University studied the...
View ArticleImproving resident care: A look at CMS' quality of care initiatives
What do reduction in rehospitalization, caring for dementia patients and preventing abuse, and reduction in the use of antipsychotic drugs have in common? They are all quality of care initiatives...
View ArticlePatients in N.Y. sue over syringe reuse
Corning Hospital in Elimra, N.Y. is facing a lawsuit from 14 patients claiming they were exposed to unsafe injection practices. The suit also names the hospital’s parent company, Guthrie Healthcare...
View ArticleNew med school focuses on training primary care physicians
The new Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University in North Haven, Conn., will aim to train physicians who want to go into primary care, rather than a specific medical specialty,...
View ArticleNew OSHA resource on protecting workers from combustible dust fires
OSHA has released a new resource to help keep emergency responders and facility workers safe when handling emergencies involving combustible dust. The booklet, titled Firefighting Precautions at...
View ArticleNurses Strike for Themselves and for Their Patients
On opposite sides of the country, nurses are striking this month under the banner of patient safety. Near Boston, the nurses at Quincy Medical Center plan to hold a one-day strike on April 11 to...
View ArticleHigh job satisfaction but greater workload for advanced practice professionals
A study conducted by Jackson Healthcare found that nurse practitioners and physician assistants are taking on more risks, responsibilities, and workloads, but nonetheless report high job satisfaction....
View ArticleReminder: Access our free CMS quality of care initiatives white paper
What do reduction in rehospitalization, caring for dementia patients and preventing abuse, and reduction in the use of antipsychotic drugs have in common? They are all quality of care initiatives...
View ArticleLawsuit claims IRS stole 60 million medical records
IRS agents stole 10 million people’s medical records without a warrant – including “intimate medical records of every state judge in California,” according to a lawsuit reported by the Courthouse News...
View ArticleJoint Commission issues Sentinel Event Alert on medical device alarm safety
The Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Event Alert on April 8 warning hospitals against alarm fatigue caused by medical devices. According to the alert, thousands of alarm signals occur in each...
View ArticleDebate over Medicare payment for PAs and APRNs
Members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) are calling for greater recognition and reward of advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) and physician assistants (PA). Because states’...
View ArticleU.S. hospital boards fail to place sufficient emphasis on quality of care
Board chairs of U.S. hospitals have less training in quality of care and devote less time to quality issues than their counterparts in England, according to a study in the recent issue of Health...
View ArticleCourt: Overtime-Working Nurses Should Get Overtime Pay
It seems like a no-brainer: When nurses work overtime, they should be paid for it. But for more than 1,200 nurses, it took a six-year court battle in Washington State against Spokane-based Sacred Heart...
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