Bouncebacks are patients who get readmitted to the hospital less than a month after they’ve been sent home. You want to keep the rate low, because too many bounceback admissions means the hospital is discharging patients too soon. One element of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or “Obamacare”) now in its fourth year is a….
Continue ReadingStandard of Care--Hospitals
The Potential Cost of Waiting to Name the Baby
Of all the medical mistakes that could be made in the first hours of a newborn’s life, few lay people would think to attribute any of them to a delay in naming the infant. But neonatologists (doctors who treat ill or premature newborns) know that the unnamed wee ones under their care are more likely….
Continue ReadingERs Often Misdiagnose Urinary Tract Infections
Anyone who’s ever had an urinary tract infection (UTI) understands the misery it causes and the urgency of its victims to resolve it. Even worse is when you’re diagnosed with a UTI and you actually have something else. It’s more than a little unnerving that urinary tract and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in women are….
Continue ReadingHow Escalating Tests Can Lead to a Sad Outcome
The medical community increasingly accepts that care in the U.S. often involves unnecessary and inappropriate diagnostic testing, a subject we’ve written about for years. But sometimes showing in detail how overtesting can be dangerous is far better than just talking about it. A recent post on KevinMD.com by Dr. Rourke Stay, a radiologist (physician who….
Continue ReadingSuggested Reading: When It Comes to Heart Attack, Speed Heals
In the 10-year period between 2003 and 2013, the U.S. death rate from coronary heart disease fell about 38%. In a long, anecdote-filled story that was part of its series on heart disease, the New York Times detailed how the decline reflects not only that we’re giving up cigarettes and controlling our cholesterol and blood….
Continue ReadingWhy Hospitals Perform Procedures They’re Not Equipped to Do
Hospitals love new technology and new treatment initiatives because using them can result in better outcomes for patients. But hospitals also like them because they can charge more for an expensive or complicated surgical tool or protocol, and leverage that use for promotional purposes. Unfortunately, as we’ve often pointed out, new and complicated treatments sometimes….
Continue ReadingWant Fewer Medical Malpractice Claims? Then Deliver Better Care
The verdict is in. Again. Yet another study proves that medical malpractice claims diminish not by limiting consumers’ rights to file them, but by delivering better medical care. PopTort, an initiative of the Center for Justice & Democracy at New York Law School, commented earlier this month on a new study published in the American….
Continue ReadingHow Does a Hospital Get Better Surgical Outcomes? Practice, Practice, Practice
When it comes to a higher rate of successful surgical outcomes, more appears to be more, according to a new survey of hospital procedures. The U.S. News & World Report on Hospital Quality says that hospitals that perform a higher volume of certain surgeries save more lives than those with a low volume of those….
Continue ReadingWhen Hospitals Focus on Patient Happiness Instead of Patient Safety
As part of the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”), Medicare payments to hospitals are based on several accountability factors including measurable quality outcomes and a more subjective “patient satisfaction” rating. No one would argue against satisfying patients, but a recent article in The Atlantic made the case that subjectivity is dangerous, and leads “hospitals to steer….
Continue ReadingImproving Weekend Surgical Outcomes
Unless it’s an emergency, having surgery on a weekend is not common, and it’s usually not a good idea. Patients who go under the knife over the weekend generally stay longer in the hospital, are more likely to be readmitted within 30 days and have higher mortality rates, according to the American Association for the….
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