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Causes of mortality after colon surgery across hospitals

Editor's Note Significant variation exists in mortality across hospitals for colon cancer surgery, this study finds. The analysis included 3,025 patients who had colon surgery at 19 low-mortality (1,006) and 30 high-mortality (2,019) hospitals. Researchers found a wide difference in mortality between high-mortality and low-mortality hospitals (9.3% vs 2.4%). Compared with…

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By: Judy Mathias
June 21, 2016
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New screening recommendations for colorectal cancer

Editor's Note The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has updated the 2008 recommendations for colorectal cancer screening. The USPSTF recommends screening for colorectal cancer starting at age 50 and continuing until age 75 (A recommendation). The decision to screen adults 76 to 85 years should be an individual one,…

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By: Judy Mathias
June 21, 2016
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Benefits, burden, and harm of colorectal cancer screening strategies

Editor's Note In this modeling study of previously unscreened 40-years olds undergoing colorectal cancer screening, the following screening strategies from ages 50 to 75 years were estimated to provide similar life years gained and a comparable balance of benefit and screening burden: colonoscopy every 10 years annual fecal immunochemical testing…

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By: Judy Mathias
June 21, 2016
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Effect of surgeons, anesthesiologists on OR time

Editor's Note Compared with type of procedure, differences between surgeons account for a small part of OR time variability, and the effect of differences between anesthesiologists is negligible, this study finds. Differences between surgeons accounted for 2.9% of variability in OR time, and differences between anesthesiologists accounted for 0.1%.  …

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By: Judy Mathias
June 20, 2016
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Use of electronically mediated time out to reduce wrong surgery

Editor's Note Implementation of a forced-completion electronically mediated time out to minimize the rate of wrong surgery is feasible, but its effect on wrong surgery is unclear, finds this study. Researchers created an electronic system using intraoperative electronic documentation to present a time-out checklist on large in-room displays. Time out…

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By: Judy Mathias
June 20, 2016
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Hospital readmission app could save billions

Editor's Note Hospital readmission app could save billions An award-winning app developed by graduate students at Binghamton University, State University of New York, could help reduce readmission rates and save the healthcare industry billions. The Android-based mobile app called “Post Discharge Treatment and Readmission Predictor,” creates a special messaging service…

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By: Judy Mathias
June 20, 2016
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Women’s long work hours linked to chronic, life-threatening diseases

Editor's Note Women who put in long hours of work over many years have an increased risk of chronic, life threatening illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and diabetes, this study finds. Women’s work weeks that averaged 60 hours or more for more than 30 years tripled the risk of…

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By: Judy Mathias
June 17, 2016
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PPSA update on wrong-site surgery

Editor's Note An update on wrong-site surgery from the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisory (PPSA) found that the three most common types reported since 2004 were: Anesthetic blocks by anesthesiologists and surgeons (26.6%) Wrong-level spinal procedures (12.8%) Pain-management procedures (11.5%). The analysis included a total of 689 reported events.  

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By: Judy Mathias
June 17, 2016
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MPSMS data show sharp decline in patient harm from 2010 to 2014

Editor's Note There were 2.1 million fewer patient harms between 2010 and 2014, resulting in thousands fewer accidental deaths and billions of dollars in health cost savings, finds this analysis of the Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System (MPSMS). The analysis found that from 2005 to 2011, the rate of adverse…

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By: Judy Mathias
June 17, 2016
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Study: Complexity of quality measures impeding adoption

Editor's Note Nearly three-quarters of physicians and health plan executives say quality measures are too complex, making it difficult for physicians to achieve them in a survey by Quest Diagnostics and Inovalon. Other findings include: 65% of physicians don’t have all the patient information they need 64% of physicians don’t…

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By: Judy Mathias
June 16, 2016
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