Editor's Note A new study by consultancy firm Navigant found that academic medical centers are trailing community hospitals across cost and quality measures. Among the findings: Cost per case was 5.8% higher at medical centers, equating to $3.1 million added annual operating expense per center. Cost per case disparity between high…

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Editor's Note New data released in the Protenus Breach Barometer shows  more than 3.14 million patient records were compromised in 142 breach incidents reported to Health and Human Services or the media from April to June 2018, the August 8 Healthcare Informatics reports. This number is up from 1.13 million…

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Editor's Note Part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) final Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System rule for FY 2019, issued August 2, was a requirement that hospitals post the prices they charge for surgeries and other medical procedures online. The…

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Editor's Note A recent Reaction Data survey of 254 physicians found that 21% believed electronic health records (EHRs) were the biggest determinant in burnout, followed by payers/preauthorization, regulatory compliance, and internal bureaucracy, the July 31 Healthcare Informatics reports. All factors had a common theme of consuming time and preventing physicians…

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Editor's Note In a survey of more than 2,000 US adults, The Harris Poll on behalf of healthcare marketing firm Scout found that nearly half are extremely or very concerned about the security of their healthcare data, the July 30 Health IT Security reports. The survey also found that 47%…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on July 25 that its Direct Data Submission (DDS) platform is now available for submission of CY 2018 electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) data and future submissions. For CY 2018, there are now two eCQM data submission methods for accredited hospitals with ORYX eCQM…

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Editor's Note Cybersecurity firm Cryptonite reports there were eight major healthcare data breaches in the first half of 2018, down from 19 during the same time in 2017, according to the July 18 Healthcare Informatics. However, the number of patient records breached this year was up, with more than 1.9…

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Editor's Note An Acquire Market Research report predicts the global spinal fusion market will grow at a 4.54% compound annual growth rate through 2023, according to the June 21 Becker’s Spine Review. Reasons for the predicted growth are the: growing incidence of spinal deformity cases rising healthcare awareness increase in…

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No homeowners willingly allow a burglar to enter their home and steal their most valuable possessions. Instead, people put locks on doors, install alarm systems, build fences, or keep big dogs. The thieves may still get in, but deterrents like these will reduce the risk of a successful burglary. Ambulatory…

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Editor's Note In this survey of six ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), Johns Hopkins researchers led by Martin Makary, MD, MPH, found that the majority increased patient satisfaction, volume, and revenue after publicly listing the prices of common surgical procedures. Five centers reported an increase in patient volume by a median…

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