Tag: Clinical quality measures

CMS final rule for CY 2025: Key updates impacting Medicare payments, quality programs

Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final rule for the 2025 calendar year, updating payment systems and quality reporting requirements across healthcare settings, JD Supra November 19 reports. Effective January 1, 2025, the rule outlines significant changes to Medicare payments and conditions for participation…

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By: Tarsilla Moura
November 20, 2024
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Hospital safety grades show progress in reducing medical errors, infections

Editor's Note During the past few years, US hospitals have improved significantly in reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), adhering to hand hygiene best practices, and preventing medical errors, according to the fall 2024 Hospital Safety Grades from The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit focused on patient safety. Released November 15, the rankings…

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By: Matt Danford
November 15, 2024
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ACS recognizes 77 hospitals for excellence in surgical outcomes

Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has recognized 77 US hospitals for “exceptional surgical outcomes” in 2023 based on performance metrics tracked as part of the ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP). According to an October 30 ACS announcement, these hospitals were selected from among 609 eligible…

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By: Matt Danford
November 13, 2024
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Deadline looms for CMS patient safety reporting requirements

Editor's Note Starting October 1, US hospitals participating in Medicare's Inpatient Quality Reporting Program will need to report adherence to 25 patient safety best practices, as mandated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). According to a September 4 report from the Association of Health Care Journalists, the…

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By: Matt Danford
September 26, 2024
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CMS expands social determinants of health screening to outpatient settings

Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is expanding its social determinants of health (SDoH) initiatives to include outpatient settings, starting with voluntary reporting in 2025 and moving to mandatory reporting in 2026, MedLearn Publishing August 26 reports. This expansion aims to address gaps in care by…

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By: Tarsilla Moura
August 29, 2024
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Study highlights CMS hospital star rating limitations

Editor's Note CMS hospital star ratings may not be a reliable tool for assessing surgical quality, according to a study published June 18 in JAMA Surgery. Researchers acknowledge that higher ratings are generally associated with improved postoperative outcomes, including fewer complications and lower 30-day mortality rates. However, as reported by…

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By: Matt Danford
June 25, 2024
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Medical error initiative from Joint Commission affiliate NQF targets preventable harm, “never events”

Editor's Note Designed to address high rates of preventable medical errors, a new initiative from The National Quality Form (NQF), an affiliate of The Joint Commission, will modernize criteria for what constitutes a Serious Reportable Event (SRE) and align standards for reporting such events across different accountability systems. Dubbed “Focus…

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By: Matt Danford
April 11, 2024
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Study: Propofol sedation increases colonoscopy costs without improving outcomes

Editor's Note Although the use of propofol for colonoscopy has been rising due to beliefs that deep sedation leads to greater patient comfort, a recent systematic review and meta-analysis of nearly 1,500 patients from nine randomized controlled trials shows this view is not supported by available evidence. Published March 8…

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By: Matt Danford
March 25, 2024
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How data puts the ‘value’ in value-based care

What if a surgeon decided to perform a procedure on a patient that was not totally necessary? It happens more often that one might realize. As recently as August 2023, Forbes published an article that cited a Harvard Business Review report stating that over 50% of lumbar spine surgeries are…

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By: David Cotriss
March 22, 2024
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US News to debut best ASCs list in 2024

US news and world report

Editor's Note US News & World Report, recognized globally as an authority in healthcare rankings and consumer advice, announced in November 2023 the addition of Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers to its annual series of ratings that evaluate healthcare sites. This new category comes in response to the growing prevalence of…

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By: Tarsilla Moura
March 13, 2024
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