Quality

The focus of quality improvement in healthcare is to bolster performance and processes related to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Leaders in this space also ensure the proper selection of imaging exams and procedures, and monitor the safety of services, among other duties. Reimbursement programs such as the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) utilize financial incentives to improve quality. This also includes setting and maintaining care quality initiatives, such as the requirements set by the Joint Commission.

Medical mistakes harm 1 in 20

British researchers are homing in on just how many medical mistakes occur and how many are preventable.

July 19, 2019

Three diagnostic mistakes account for 75% of malpractice claims

Just three categories of diagnostic errors account for roughly 75% of all serious misdiagnosis-related harms to patients, according to a new study published in Diagnosis. 

July 11, 2019
Target health care costs.

One nonprofit hospital is aggressively pursuing the poor for medical debts

Methodist University Hospital, based in Memphis, Tennessee, is a nonprofit hospital operator with its own collections agency that ruthlessly pummels low-income patients over unpaid medical bills by taking them to court, according to a sort by ProPublica.

June 28, 2019
APP volume and share of image-guided paracentesis increased from 10.2% to 15.8%, and from 7.7% to 12.9% for thoracentesis, while Medicare reimbursement for both procedures has seen a reduction since 2012. #nursepractitioner #physicianassistant #interventionalradiology

Patients have more complications when they have a rude doctor

If a coworker of a surgeon complains about their unprofessional behavior in the workplace, patients are more likely to suffer with higher rates of complications, according to a recent study published in JAMA Surgery.

June 27, 2019

UNC Children’s Hospital suspends complex heart surgeries after media investigation

North Carolina Children’s Hospital has suspended heart surgeries for complex cases in the aftermath of an explosive New York Times investigation that found the hospital’s heart unit had an alarmingly high mortality rate.

June 20, 2019

Are Americans the worst patients in the world?

That’s the question David Freedman tried to answer in an article in The Atlantic, pointing out that the high cost of the U.S. healthcare system could come down to the patients themselves.

June 14, 2019

Vaccine tested for Alzheimer’s disease prevention

Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive brain disorder with no known cure that affects more than 5.5 million Americans, may finally be preventable. That’s if a vaccine developed by researchers at the University of New Mexico currently being tested turns out to be viable, reports local news outlet KRQE.

June 11, 2019

Kaiser study finds unmet social needs are a barrier to care

At a time when more healthcare stakeholders are looking to integrate care across providers and provide better care coordination for patients, addressing social determinants of health is gaining prominence.

June 6, 2019

Around the web

In addition, cardiologists average an additional $75,000 per year in incentive-based bonuses. That number is only higher for two other specialties. 

CMS has issued its proposed rule for the 2025 Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment system, suggesting a payment increase of 2.6%. According to the American Hospital Association, this update would not be enough at a time when hospitals are already struggling to stay open. 

The rumors, it seems, were true. Once the deal is finalized, Shockwave Medical will operate as a business unit within Johnson & Johnson MedTech.

Trimed Popup
Trimed Popup