How come so many Americans feel so badly about their healthcare system? This question came to mind during presentations by Harvard economist David Cutler, PhD and Former CMS Administrator Donald Berwick, MD, MPP at an online symposium held February 12, 2015, sponsored by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Cutler’s first four slides illustrate startling, across-the-board… Continue Reading
Feds Announce QIO Newsletter in New Format
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have announced a new look and feel for the e-newsletter QIO News. For the last five years, QIO News has provided an in-depth look at health care quality improvement through the eyes of patients, thought leaders and Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs). In December 2014, QIO News began providing the same quality improvement-focused content… Continue Reading
Leaders Equate Reporting with Quality Gains
A new survey finds a large majority of hospital executives believe that public reporting has stimulated quality improvement at their institutions. In results published recently in JAMA Internal Medicine, fully 70 percent of leaders equate public reporting with enhancing quality improvement. The questionnaire survey was based on a random sample of 630 hospitals with 380 respondents…. Continue Reading
Campaign Saves Estimated 50,000 Lives
New data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) show an estimated 50,000 fewer patients died in hospitals and approximately $12 billion in health care costs were saved as a result of a reduction in hospital-acquired conditions from 2010 to 2013. This progress toward a safer health care system occurred during a period… Continue Reading
IPRO Taking Over Major Hospital Database
IPRO is taking over a major online resource for measuring the performance of 5,723 hospitals in the U.S. Created by IPRO in 2008 for The Commonwealth Fund, the WhyNotTheBest.org resource has been used by tens of thousands of health care professionals to compare hospital performance and to access improvement tools. Effective January 2015, The Commonwealth Fund is… Continue Reading
Feds to Publish Dialysis Center Ratings
Starting in January, the federal government will publish star ratings of dialysis facilities, in a similar fashion to the rankings now available on nursing homes and physicians. The ratings to be included on the Dialysis Facility Compare site, which is operated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), are based on 9 of… Continue Reading
Feds Cite Reductions in Antipsychotic Medications
The use of antipsychotic medication among long-stay nursing home residents in the U.S. fell by 17.1 percent over a recent 21-month period, beating a national goal of a 15.1 percent reduction, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The target was set by the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care, which CMS… Continue Reading
Hospital Readmissions Report Targets Communications
Discrepancies between what providers believe they’re communicating and what patients actually understand can contribute to avoidable readmissions to acute care hospitals, according to a new report from the Manhattan-based United Hospital Fund (UHF). Seven New York City-area hospitals participated in a process improvement project, which included chart reviews, interviews with readmitted patients and family caregivers,… Continue Reading
New York Announces Open-Data Challenge Winners
The New York State Department of Health has announced the winners of its inaugural New York State Health Innovation Challenge, a four-month contest among tech companies vying to create the most useful technological tool to help consumers make sense of health data. The contest is a public-private partnership that builds upon New York’s open data… Continue Reading
NYS Launches Improved Website
The New York State Department of Health has announced the launch of the redesigned New York State Health Profiles website. The New York State Health Profiles (http://profiles.health.ny.gov), which is maintained within the State Health Department’s public website, is a consumer-oriented portal providing centralized access to health care information in four areas: hospitals; nursing homes; home… Continue Reading