Surgeon scorecard linked to surgical supply costs
Editor's Note Giving monthly cost feedback scorecards to surgeons was associated with significantly reduced surgical supply costs, without negatively affecting patient outcomes in this study. Of 249 surgeons representing 10 specialties, 63 were in the intervention group and 186 were in the control group. Surgeons in the intervention group each…
Hospital consumer ranking systems based on faulty data
Editor's Note More transparency and validation are needed for consumer-based benchmarking methods, this study finds. Researchers evaluated differences between Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services measured rates of safety events for Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, and the US News & World Report determined patient safety scores. Discrepancies were found…
Study: Most nurses dissatisfied with EHRs
Editor's Note A study by Adventist University of Health Sciences (Orlando, Florida) found that 92% of nurses were dissatisfied with their electronic health record (EHR) technology. In addition, 85% said the EHRs had flaws, and 84% said EHRs disrupted their productivity and clinical workflow. The researchers also found an increase…
Study: Physicians spend half their time on EHRs, desk work
Editor's Note In this study, researchers found that physicians spent 49.2% of their time during the day on electronic health records and desk work and 27% of their time with patients. In addition, they spent an extra 1 to 2 hours each night during their personal time on EHRs. While…
Preventing a cyber attack takes commitment--and money
Information technology (IT) has been a lifesaver and a timesaver in healthcare, bringing speed and precision to medical-surgical procedures and replacing paperwork with electronic computation, storage, and communication. But there is a dark side. Systems can be sabotaged, files can be opened, and devices used in surgery can fail at…
Data breach at pain clinic affects almost 900,000 people
Editor's Note Phoenix-based Valley Anesthesiology and Pain Consultants sent notices to nearly 900,000 individuals, including patients, current and former employees, and providers, of a data breach after an unauthorized third party may have gained access to its computer systems in March, the August 15 Becker’s Health IT & CIO Review…
Medical device companies scrambling to meet UDI deadline
Editor's Note A survey by Loftware, Inc (Portsmouth, New Hampshire), shows that only 15% of medical device companies are currently compliant with the next phase of the Food and Drug Administration's Unique Device Identification (UDI) regulation, the August 3 PRWEB reports. The deadline is September 24. Of 120 companies polled,…
Excluding high-risk cardiac patients from public reporting improves outcomes
Editor's Note Public reporting may discourage physicians from offering lifesaving treatment to patients who are at the greatest risk for mortality and poor outcomes, this study finds. Of 45,000 cardiac patients analyzed, the researchers found that physicians were 28% more likely to perform percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) on patients who…
MACRA poses risks for physicians, patients
Editor's Note Implementation of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) could threaten physicians’ autonomy in making decisions for their patients, provide burdensome levels of documentation, and pressure some solo and small practices to close, according to an analysis in the July 23 Medical Economics. MACRA also could contribute…
Wearable technology brings both benefits and risks to the OR
Personal wearable technology, which covers the gamut from activity trackers such as Fitbit to e-textiles that monitor vital signs, have the potential to revolutionize healthcare. Like most innovations, however, the technology comes with risks. For OR leaders, those risks include possible security breaches, distractions, and violation of patient privacy and…
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