Quality and Safety
Before White House Chief Technology Officer Todd Park even uttered a word about HealthCare.gov in front of the House panel that had subpoenaed him to testify Nov. 13, the chairman and the ranking member were sparring over the failed launch of the government's insurance website.
Judge not, that ye be not judged. Irked by the growing number of report cards assessing the quality of hospitals, a New York state hospital association has taken this biblical admonition to heart by putting out a report card grading the quality of hospital graders. Five of the 10 report cards that were evaluated were given low marks.
Now covering about half the state's beneficiaries, Colorado's Medicaid accountable care program saw a 15 percent reduction in hospital admissions and a 25 percent reduction in high-cost imaging in the 2013 fiscal year, contributing to $44 million in savings.
The health IT hazard that tops the ECRI Institute's top hazards list for 2014 is a recurring one, having been singled out by many safety organizations as something to beware.
The Joint Commission's Annual Report on Quality and Safety 2013, shows that 33 percent -- or 1,099 hospitals -- of all Joint Commission-accredited hospitals that reported accountability measure data for 2012 ranked as top performing hospitals using evidence-based care processes.
Greece is no stranger to fiscal turmoil. It has one of the highest unemployment rates in the Western world and has racked up more than €321 billion of public debt. But some say the country's two-and a-half-year-old e-prescribing system is on the right track, helping reduce pharmaceutical expenditures by 50 percent.
Residents of New Hampshire and Vermont can count on quicker response to signs of a stroke with a new telestroke program launched by Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Mayo Clinic. The program provides 24/7 access to telestroke specialists via videoconferencing technology.
Three recent deaths at the Memphis VA Medical Center emergency department could probably have been prevented with better communication, digital documentation and better layout of the emergency department, according to an investigation by the Veterans Administration Inspector General.
"The mismatch between patients and their clinical data is a serious and growing patient safety issue," says Meryl Bloomrosen, vice president of thought leadership, practice excellence and public policy at AHIMA, the organization of health information management professionals.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified Oct. 30 before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on the failings of HealthCare.gov, making her the highest ranked official to be questioned over the website flaws.