Search Tag: Quality of Care
An-interview-with-prof-antonio-artigas
2013 15 Aug
Professor Antonio Artigas has been managing the Critical Care Centre at Sabadell Hospital in Barcelona, Spain since 1988. He spoke at length with Sherry Scharff at the 13th International Symposium on Infections in the Critically Ill Patient in Athens, Greece, a meeting he heads. In this discussion, he describes the successes he has experienced...Read more
Hospital-for-profit-conversion-no-impact-on-quality-of-care
2014 22 Oct
US hospitals that converted from nonprofit to for-profit status in the 2000s subsequently enjoyed better financial health, but their conversion made no difference in the quality of care provided or mortality rates, according to researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Their study examined characteristics of US acute care hospitals...Read more
Congenital-heart-surgery-high-quality-hospitals-offer-lowest-cost-care
2014 28 Nov
A new study has found that US children’s hospitals providing the highest-quality care for children undergoing heart surgery also appear to deliver care most efficiently at a low cost. The study, led by the University of Michigan, covered 30,670 heart surgery patients aged 0-18 years across 27 different hospitals. The findings were presented at the American...Read more
Top-us-hospitals-virginia-mason-on-list-for-9th-consecutive-year
2014 10 Dec
Virginia Mason has made The Leapfrog Group's annual list of Top Hospitals in the US for the ninth consecutive year. It is the only hospital in the country to be named a Top Hospital every year since the recognition programme was launched in 2006. In addition, Virginia Mason is the only hospital in Washington state to receive the 2014 Top Hospital award...Read more
High-earning-mds-fewer-patients-more-procedures
2014 12 Dec
A UCLA study has shown for the first time that higher-earning physicians make more money by ordering more procedures and services per patient, rather than by seeing more patients. This "very surprising" finding may not be in the best interest of patients, according to a research letter published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine . Researchers...Read more
Pre-diagnostic-care-seldom-reflected-in-quality-measures
2015 05 Feb
The quality measures endorsed by The National Quality Forum (NQF) are not always applicable to the management of patients prior to their diagnoses, according to a report in the February 3 issue of JAMA . The new study shows that the majority of NQF measures focus on the management of patients who already have established diagnoses, and that quality...Read more
Insurance-status-affects-outcomes-for-brain-tumour-patients
2015 05 Mar
Uninsured brain tumour patients or those who use Medicaid experience longer hospital stays and are more likely to develop medical complications, compared to patients with private health insurance. The insurance status of patient populations served by different hospitals should be considered in the assignment of hospital quality ratings, which are influenced...Read more
National-recognition-for-nationwide-children-s-hospital
2015 16 Mar
Nationwide Children’s Hospital has received NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition for using evidence-based, patient-centred processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long-term, participative relationships the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) announced. Nationwide Children’s achieved Level 3 standards, the highest...Read more
Health-data-quality-questioned
2015 05 May
Most US clinical registries that collect data on patient outcomes are substandard and do not really track in a systematic way how well physicians and hospitals perform. The findings are from a Johns Hopkins study that examined 153 US registries containing health service and disease outcomes data. On average, a registry contained information on more...Read more
Do-ehrs-impact-ischaemic-stroke-patient-outcomes
2015 09 May
Electronic health records (EHRs) may be important to have a more high-tech and transparent healthcare system, but new research reveals that using EHRs was not associated with better quality of care or clinical outcomes for ischaemic stroke patients. The study, reported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology , analysed data of 626,473...Read more
Telemedicine-reduces-cost-of-care
2015 25 May
An UC Davis study has shown that compared to telephone, paediatric telemedicine consultations produced significant cost savings while improving quality of care. Telemedicine systems may be expensive to install and maintain, but they more than pay their way, saving an average $4,662 per use, researchers say. The findings are reported in the journal...Read more
Hospital-productivity-improving
2015 31 May
A new study by University of Southern California economists shows that hospital productivity growth — the increase in output produced from inputs such as labour and capital — has actually improved in recent years. The finding suggests that U.S. hospitals may actually be able to deliver on the assumption in the Patient Protection and Affordable...Read more
Cutting-costs-of-referrals
2015 09 Jun
A recent webinar hosted by Becker's Hospital Review discussed the importance of managing the physician referral process. Key benefits of having an enhanced referral process include cost savings and better patient experience. The session focused on improving two main models of referrals: many-to-one, which has a hospital or facility as a central cog,...Read more
Study-overnight-care-quality-findings
2015 26 Jun
A study on the implementation of an onsite attending-level physician supervising the overnight medical residents, shows that the programme had no significant impact on important clinical outcomes. The study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine , is the first to look at the impact of an overnight academic hospitalist programme. Academic...Read more
It-patient-safety-roadmap-revealed
2015 25 Jul
The U.S. Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released its Health IT Safety Centre Roadmap, detailing a plan for optimising use of health IT for improved care safety and quality. In recent years, the increased adoption of health IT and electronic health record (EHR) has seen impressive advances in electronic...Read more
Rudeness-damages-medical-staff-performance
2015 14 Sep
A new Tel Aviv University study published in Pediatrics shows that rudeness can affect hospital staff's diagnostic and professional performance. The results suggest that even the most benign forms of impoliteness may impede medical personnel's ability to perform under pressure and damage the quality of patient care, according to researchers. "While...Read more
Better-patient-care-management-needed
2015 17 Sep
Better coordination of healthcare services helps to reduce costs and improve quality of patient care. While electronic medical records guide physicians through patient encounters and facilitate the required documentation for billing purposes, the records don't actively support true care coordination, according to an opinion piece for MedCity News ....Read more
Sweden-experiments-with-six-hour-nursing-shifts
2015 22 Sep
A small group of elderly-care nurses in Sweden have made changes to their work schedule in order to improve quality and efficiency. The nurses have switched from an eight hour to six hour working day for the same wage. This is the first controlled trial of shorter hours in Sweden. The nurses who are part of this change feel that they are much more...Read more
How-new-technologies-analytics-are-improving-healthcare
2015 02 Nov
Healthcare globally is moving towards connectivity centred around the patient, aiming to improve the overall patient experience. However, the existing IT infrastructure must first be optimised before a truly connected healthcare system can be implemented, according to an article published online by The Information Daily . This means simplifying the...Read more
Nurses-helping-employers-create-safe-and-productive-workplaces
2015 11 Nov
Across the U.S., nurses are on the frontline of efforts to create a Culture of Health in the workplace to foster individual well-being, beneficial lifestyles, and healthier communities. There are a number of nurse-designed worksite-based initiatives that are helping improve the quality of care and reduce costs, according to a policy brief from the...Read more
Acr-releases-new-updated-appropriateness-criteria
2015 11 Nov
The latest version of the American College of Radiology (ACR) Appropriateness Criteria ® has been released. The updated criteria help referring physicians and other providers make the most appropriate medical imaging or treatment decision for more than 1,050 clinical indications. Developed by expert panels of physicians from various medical specialties,...Read more
Physician-burnout-is-worsening
2015 03 Dec
An update from a three-year study that evaluated burnout and work-life balance reveals that burnout among American physicians is worse today than it was three years earlier. The study was conducted by Mayo Clinic researchers in collaboration with the American Medical Association and the findings appear in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. “Burnout manifests...Read more
Lower-patient-satisfaction-with-nurses-trained-abroad
2015 03 Dec
A new study published in BMJ Open concludes that the employment of nurses trained abroad as a substitute for nurses educated at home presents risks to quality of care. Western countries like the U.S. and England rely on nurses trained abroad in times of shortages. This study was conducted with 12000 patients in a sample of 31 National Health Service...Read more
6-ways-to-make-your-workforce-more-flexible-1
2015 20 Dec
Healthcare workers tend to work in an environment which comes with many professional boundaries. These boundaries often limit their ability to treat and diagnose patients due to restricted access to specific skills, technologies and services. They also reduce workforce flexibility and introduce inefficiencies due to a negative impact on workforce responsiveness. ...Read more
Having-med-students-in-the-er-does-not-slow-care
2015 21 Dec
As part of their training, medical students have become involved in bedside care and this has raised concerns over the possible effect on quality of care. Now, new research from University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine shows that the presence of trainees does not slow care in the emergency department (ED). The results indicate a balance between...Read more
Supply-chain-costs-leading-worry-for-execs
2015 27 Dec
Amidst rising cost of supplies, healthcare organisations have turned their focus on improving supply chain management to help reduce overall costs, according to a new national survey commissioned by Cardinal Health. Reducing costs is an urgent goal as hospitals shift to value-based healthcare. The supply chain is the second largest expense for healthcare...Read more
Are-single-bed-rooms-cost-effective
2016 06 Jan
Single-patient rooms in the ICU may be more costly to build and operate, but the resultant cost savings from reductions in nosocomial infections outweigh the additional construction and operating expenses, according to a new study published in Journal of Critical Care . Despite recent efforts to improve healthcare quality and safety, there is still...Read more
Decoding-patient-cost
2016 19 Jan
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) has formed a strategic partnership with Health Catalyst to develop and commercialise a hospital-based costing analysis solution. The two organisations will combine expertise and technologies to help health systems solve one of their most pressing problems — how to measure the true cost of healthcare...Read more
Tips-meeting-multi-cultural-needs-in-ageing-patients
2016 12 Feb
The number of older adults representing minority groups is forecasted to increase by 39 percent by 2050 as compared to 21 percent in 2012. Most of the increases are expected to be among the Asian, Native, Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander populations. In addition, the proportion of Hispanic adults is projected to more than double over the next 40...Read more
Quality-of-care-for-in-hospital-cardiac-arrest
2016 26 Feb
According to a study published in JAMA Cardiology , there is significant variation among U.S. hospitals with respect to adherence to recommended care after an in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA). The study shows survival rates are much higher when hospitals adhere to these recommendations. Approximately 200,000 patients are treated for IHCA annually...Read more