On Teaching Hospitals & Conflict of Interest
We examined 30-day mortality (the most important measure of hospital quality) and extended our analysis to also examine 90 days (to see if differences between teaching and non-teaching hospitals persisted over time). We built our main models, but in the back of my mind, I knew that no matter which choices we made, some people would question them as biased. Thus, we ran a lot of sensitivity analyses, looking at shorter-term outcomes (7 days), models with and without transferred patients, within various hospital size categories, and with various specification of how one even defines teaching status. Finally, we included volu...
Source: The Health Care Blog - May 23, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: Uncategorized Quality Source Type: blogs
On Teaching Hospitals & Conflict of Interest & Other Politically Charged Topics
We examined 30-day mortality (the most important measure of hospital quality) and extended our analysis to also examine 90 days (to see if differences between teaching and non-teaching hospitals persisted over time). We built our main models, but in the back of my mind, I knew that no matter which choices we made, some people would question them as biased. Thus, we ran a lot of sensitivity analyses, looking at shorter-term outcomes (7 days), models with and without transferred patients, within various hospital size categories, and with various specification of how one even defines teaching status. Finally, we included volu...
Source: The Health Care Blog - May 23, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: Uncategorized Quality Source Type: blogs
On Teaching Hospitals and Conflict of Interest and Other Politically Charged Topics
We examined 30-day mortality (the most important measure of hospital quality) and extended our analysis to also examine 90 days (to see if differences between teaching and non-teaching hospitals persisted over time). We built our main models, but in the back of my mind, I knew that no matter which choices we made, some people would question them as biased. Thus, we ran a lot of sensitivity analyses, looking at shorter-term outcomes (7 days), models with and without transferred patients, within various hospital size categories, and with various specification of how one even defines teaching status. Finally, we included volu...
Source: The Health Care Blog - May 23, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: Uncategorized Quality Source Type: blogs
Medicare Cuts in the Future of HACRP Hospitals
As has been noted, CMS named 769 hospitals that will face Medicare payment cuts in fiscal year (FY) 2017 under the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP), which for the first time considered rates of infection from antibiotic-resistant bacteria in its calculations. The HAC Reduction Program requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to adjust payments to applicable hospitals that rank in the worst-performing quartile of all subsection (d) hospitals with respect to risk-adjusted HAC quality measures. These hospitals will have their payments reduced to 99 percent of what would otherw...
Source: Policy and Medicine - May 19, 2017 Category: American Health Authors: Thomas Sullivan - Policy & Medicine Writing Staff Source Type: blogs
Seeking Funding from Hospital Executives for Digital Pathology Platforms
In response to my note yesterday about pathology naysayers regarding the purchase and deployment of digital platforms (see:"Not Yet" a Common Response by Pathologists to Digital Pathology Adoption), Barry Portugal, a veteran and knowledgeable consultant in pathology and lab medicine, submitted the following comment: While I agree that age is certainly a factor to the"not yet" conundrum, it's been my experience that"technology phobia" and capital investment are both more prevalent reasons. It's my view that digital pathology companies need to step up their ...
Source: Lab Soft News - May 13, 2017 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Cost of Healthcare Healthcare Information Technology Hospital Executive Management Hospital Financial Lab Industry Trends Pathology Informatics Quality of Care Radiology Source Type: blogs
What I Would Do Differently if I Were Diagnosed with Depression Today?
Someone in recovery circles once told me that if you have one foot in the past and another in the future, you are essentially peeing on the present. I try to remember that when I’m engulfed in regret — obsessing about all the things I did wrong in the past and wishing to God I had made different decisions. However, writing about my mistakes has always been healing for me because I’d like to think this small action could possibly prevent someone else from making the same ones. If I can help a young person or anyone who has recently been diagnosed with depression take a more direct route to healing, it seems irresp...
Source: World of Psychology - May 10, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Therese J. Borchard Tags: Depression Medications Mental Health and Wellness Motivation and Inspiration Personal Psychiatry Stress Suicide Treatment Bipolar Disorder Depressive Episode Epigenetics Major Depressive Disorder Melancholy Neuroplasticity Sa Source Type: blogs
The Joint Commission surveys matter more than we think
Recently, the online version of JAMA published an original investigation entitled “Patient Mortality During Unannounced Accreditation Surveys at US Hospitals.” The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect of heightened vigilance during unannounced accreditation surveys on safety and quality of inpatient care. The authors found that there was a significant reduction in mortality in patients admitted during the week of surveys by The Joint Commission. The change was more significant in major teaching hospitals, where mortality fell from 6.41 percent to 5.93 percent during survey weeks, a 5.9 per...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 9, 2017 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/tracy-cardin" rel="tag" > Tracy Cardin, ACNP < /a > Tags: Policy Hospital Hospitalist Source Type: blogs
Reducing agency spend: Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust case study
NHS Employers - This case study shares the experience of Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust on how they reduced levels of medical agency spending.Case studyPress release (Source: Health Management Specialist Library)
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - May 8, 2017 Category: UK Health Authors: The King ' s Fund Information & Knowledge Service Tags: NHS finances and productivity Workforce and employment Source Type: blogs
Are Silent Seizures a Symptom of Alzheimer's Disease?
While I was taking care of my mom, Dotty, I often worried about seizures. Silent Seizures.My mother often suffered from severe headaches particularly in the morning. This was an ongoing problem that would come and go. The research below indicates that the silent seizures occurred while patients were sleeping..I actually received training on what to look for, and the signs and symptoms of seizures.6 reasons why you might have to put someone with dementia in a memory care facility or nursing homeBy Bob DeMarcohttp://www.alzheimersreadingroom.comSubscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading RoomEmail:I clearly remember our doctor...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - May 6, 2017 Category: Neurology Tags: alzheimer's care caring for dementia patients at home dementia care dementia confusion family caregiving home care memory care facility nursing home seizures in alzheimer patients Source Type: blogs
Some Surgicenters Listing Prices, Reject Insurance, and Require Cash Payment
I have been closely tracking various developments in free-standing clinics and surgicenters that may stumulate a more competitive environment for hospitals (see, for example:Tug of War between Hospitals and Surgicenters for Knee Replacements). I recently blogged about how opaque hospital bills have discouraged many patients (see:Coding for Hospital Services; One Reason for the High Cost of Healthcare). I also posted a note about how some hospitals were providing more price transparency (see:Greater Transparency for Hospital Charges Slowly Becoming the Norm).In order to be more competitiv...
Source: Lab Soft News - April 14, 2017 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Cost of Healthcare Healthcare Business Healthcare Delivery Healthcare Insurance Hospital Financial Medical Consumerism Quality of Care Source Type: blogs
Open Payments Starts Review and Dispute …On A Saturday
With the close of Open Payments submission just behind us, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) plans to publish the Open Payments Program Year 2016 data and updates to the 2013, 2014, and 2015 program years on June 30, 2017.
As such, the review and dispute period for the Program Year 2016 Open Payments data publication begins on Saturday, April 1, 2017 and will last until Monday, May 15, 2017. Physicians and teaching hospitals must initiate their disputes during this 45-day review period in order for any disputes to be addressed before the June 30th publication.
Physician and teaching hospital review o...
Source: Policy and Medicine - April 11, 2017 Category: American Health Authors: Thomas Sullivan - Policy & Medicine Writing Staff Source Type: blogs
After the American Health Care Act
BY JOHN IRVINE
We asked THCB’s editors and bloggers for their reactions to Friday’s news. Here are their reactions.
DANIEL STONE, MD
The late UCLA Professor Richard Brown, once commented that the Clinton healthcare initiative failed because the status quo was everyone’s second choice. Some of that logic applies to today’s failure to vote on the AHCA. Additionally, no one ever lost money betting against the rollback of an established entitlement program.
The Republicans opponents of the ACA have not yet faced the fact that the reason coverage is so expensive is because the care is so expensive. You can’t ...
Source: The Health Care Blog - March 26, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Irvine Tags: Uncategorized John Irvine Source Type: blogs
OnkoNetwork Drastically Reduces Pre-Treatment Waiting Time For Oncology Patients
Since the introduction of a special software and optimization of patient management practices in November 2015, in the Hungarian county of Kaposvár the average time from the discovery of a cancerous disease until the actual medical consultation about the treatment plan has been reduced drastically from 54 to 21 days. Those 33 days could mean the difference between life and death. Sometimes you do not need pricey or hyper-high-tech solutions for making a difference in healthcare. Sometimes it is enough if you respond to patients’ needs by optimizing processes. Let’s see how OnkoNetwork, the first Hungarian patient mana...
Source: The Medical Futurist - March 23, 2017 Category: Information Technology Authors: nora Tags: Future of Medicine Healthcare Design gc4 Source Type: blogs
We need to protect our resident junior doctors
Resident doctors occupy a unique place in the medical profession. On one hand, they are still students, who are learning the art of practising medicine . They have to keep their professors happy, and also master the content in their textbooks , in order to pass their examinations. However, they are also responsible for delivering care to patients. Theoretically, this is supposed to be done under the supervision of their seniors, but because there is a shortage of qualified professors, they are often forced to fend for themselves. They are paid a pittance, because this is treated as a stipend, and not a salary. Th...
Source: Dr.Malpani's Blog - March 22, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: blogs
How to Find Accurate, Evidence-Based Information on Mood Disorders
If I had to choose just one piece of advice to give to the person disabled by depression or any mood disorder, it would be this: Work with the right professionals and seek out accurate, evidence-based information.
In 2006, having spent years absorbing inaccurate information and working with amateurs, I needed a miracle. I was dangerously close to taking my life. I made an appointment with the Johns Hopkins Mood Disorders Center and was evaluated by two savvy doctors, one of which became the psychiatrist that I have today.
The center saved my life. This physician saved my life. Visit AskHopkinsPsychiatry.org.
Now you have ...
Source: World of Psychology - March 21, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Therese J. Borchard Tags: Bipolar Depression Disorders Personal Psychotherapy Psychotherapy Stories Self-Help Bipolar Disorder evidence-based Mood Disorder Source Type: blogs
