Payments and penalties for outcomes
Under the health care reform law, starting in 3 years, hospitals will stand to be paid more for meeting quality and outcome measures. They will also be penalized for hospital-acquired conditions and readmissions. Pilot projects will be launched to test new ways to deliver and pay for care to Medicare…
What can we learn from Grand Junction?
Grand Junction, Colorado, about half way between Denver and Salt Lake City, is known for its dramatic red-rock country, mountain biking, river rafting, and other outdoor activities. With about 50,000 people, it's not a big population center, but it's become a big dot on the health care map. That's because…
Device firms face tax, transparency
Two provisions of the health care reform law passed in March 2010 affect medical device companies. A 2.3% tax on companies' gross sales from medical devices starting in 2013 will help pay for reform. In addition, drug and device companies will have to publicly report gifts and payments made to…
Is event-related dating going away?
Because of recent regulatory activity, some are asking whether event-related sterility dating is going away. The answer is no. The confusion is a result of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking Kimberly-Clark (KC) to submit a new 510k application to confirm that its sterilization wrap meets all current requirements.…
Stay ahead of reimbursement changes
Ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) are generally set up to serve the needs of their patient communities while maximizing revenue for their physician, investor, or hospital owners. Take away those incentives, and it is reasonable for an ASC manager to ask, "What are we doing here?" Yet with falling reimbursement rates…
AORN RPs generate lively discussion
Proposed revisions to AORN recommended practices (RPs) on surgical attire and prevention of unplanned retained items (formerly counts) generated lively discussion at the AORN Congress in March in Denver—as they are likely to do in ORs across the country. The proposals were open for public comment on the AORN website,…
Keynote: What would Florence do?
When did the health care crisis get to be a crisis? Was it last year with the capital crunch and reimbursement cutbacks? Was it the evolution of managed care and corporate medicine? Does it go back to when Medicare was established? What would Florence Nightingale say about the health care…
Total joints: Toward zero infections
The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City has one of the highest volumes of total joint replacements in the world. It also has one of the lowest surgical site infection (SSI) rates. The hospital, which performs about 8,000 joint replacements a year, was recently commended by the…
Free Daily News
- Study: Mortality prediction models fail to recognize severe patient injuries
- Nurse-coordinated care reduces long-term heart risks after acute coronary syndrome
- Study: Preoperative VR reduces ICU sedation, ventilator time
- Survey: AI reduces administrative burden, improves physician outlook
- Healthcare employment up in March
- Study: Excessive nurse overtime, agency staffing harm patients
- Commentary: Technology no substitute for cadaver-based medical education
- Study: Early-stage breast cancer surgery may not be necessary after chemo, radiation
- Experimental brain implant translates thoughts to speech
- Nurses deem flexible, transparent scheduling key to satisfaction, retention
Career Center
- Director- Clinical Operations, Operating Room, Riley Children's Hospital - Indiana University Health - Indianapolis, IN
- CARDIOTHORACIC SURGEON STANFORD MEDICINE - Stanford University, School of Medicine - Corvallis, OR
- PEDIATRIC CARDIAC SURGEON - Stanford University, School of Medicine - Honolulu, HI
- Tampa Vascular Surgeon - Vein ans Vascular Institute - Tampa, FL