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Patients undergoing surgery in hospitals with best nursing care have better outcomes

Patients are often unaware that choosing the right hospital is very important to having a good outcome. A novel study published today in the prominent surgery journal JAMA Surgery showed that patients undergoing surgery at Magnet hospitals recognized for nursing excellence, and good nurse staffing, have better outcomes at the same or lower costs as other hospitals.

21 Jan 2016

Virginia Mason wins Healthgrades' Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence for sixth year in row

Virginia Mason Medical Center has received the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence for the sixth consecutive year from Healthgrades, a leading online resource for information about physicians and hospitals in the United States.

21 Jan 2016

UCLA research finds wide variations in post-acute care across different parts of the U.S.

To ensure that they receive proper care after surgery, patients are frequently referred by hospitals to inpatient facilities such as skilled nursing homes or inpatient rehabilitation centers or to receive home health care and other outpatient services. This type of care, called post-acute care, now accounts for some $62 billion in annual Medicare spending.

21 Jan 2016

USRDS report shows positive and negative trends in kidney disease in the U.S.

The annual data report from the United States Renal Data System reveals both positive and negative trends in kidney disease in the U.S.

18 Jan 2016

Patients enrolled in high-deductible health insurance plans use fewer diagnostic tests

Patients enrolled in high-deductible health insurance plans have lower rates of use and lower costs for imaging tests, suggests a study in the February issue of Medical Care.

18 Jan 2016

Colorado state employees now have access to Paladina Health's family practice physicians

Paladina Health, an innovative primary care approach to delivering individualized health care, announced today that State of Colorado employees and their eligible dependents who have health coverage through UnitedHealthcare now have access to Paladina Health's family practice physicians in Colorado.

13 Jan 2016

Alignment Healthcare, HCA West Florida partner to better serve Medicare beneficiaries in West Florida

Alignment Healthcare, a company focused on improving the health of the Medicare population, announced that it has joined forces with HCA West Florida to better serve Medicare beneficiaries in three West Florida counties: Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota.

13 Jan 2016

Geographic location influences quality grades assigned to Medicare Advantage plans

Geographic location is an important predictor of the quality grades assigned to Medicare Advantage insurance plans, and the federal government should consider accounting for geographic differences to allow for fairer comparisons among plans, Boston University School of Public Health researchers say in a new study.

13 Jan 2016

Loyola Physician Partners selected to participate in CMS' NGACO Model

Loyola Physician Partners, as a member of Trinity Health and the Trinity Health ACO, has been selected to participate in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services's Next Generation ACO Model (NGACO Model).

13 Jan 2016

Apollo Care Connect acquires Healarium's population health management technology and operating platform

Apollo Medical Holdings, Inc., an integrated population health management company, is pleased to announce that Apollo Care Connect, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ApolloMed, has acquired the population health management technology and operating platform of Healarium, Inc.

12 Jan 2016

New USPSTF breast cancer screening recommendations may result in lethal consequences for women

If followed, new U.S. Preventive Services Task Force breast cancer screening recommendations will result in thousands of unnecessary deaths each year and thousands more women enduring extensive and expensive treatment than if their cancer had been found early by an annual mammogram.

12 Jan 2016

No Jab No Pay initiative no problem for families in Cape York

The government’s No Jab No Pay initiative, effective from 1 January 2016 is set to be no problem for the majority of families in Cape York.

8 Jan 2016

Meridian Health Plan named one of 'Best and Brightest Companies to Work For'

Meridian Health Plan, for the second time, has been nationally named one of the "Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" by the National Association for Business Resources. Previously, the NABR had consistently named Meridian as one of "Metropolitan Detroit's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" 2012 through 2015.

8 Jan 2016

QT Vascular reports initial results from first-in-human study of Chocolate Heart drug-coated balloon

QT Vascular Ltd., together with its subsidiaries (the "Company" or "QT Vascular", and together with its subsidiaries, the "Group"), a global company engaged in the design, assembly and distribution of advanced therapeutic solutions for the minimally invasive treatment of vascular disease, announce today the release of the initial results from the first-in-human study of its unique drug-coated balloon, Chocolate Heart.

7 Jan 2016

Palliative care improves care quality, reduces costs for advanced cancer patients with comorbidities

Patients with incurable cancer and numerous other serious health conditions who consulted with a palliative care team within two days of hospitalization had significant savings in hospital costs, according to a new study led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

7 Jan 2016

FAU study shows benefits of regular mammography among elder women

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women after skin cancer and occurred in 230,000 women in the United States in 2015. Breast cancer afflicts 1 in 8 women in their lifetime and 1 in 25 die from this disease.

7 Jan 2016

UC San Diego School of Medicine study compares payments among different specialties

The Physician Payments Sunshine Act, passed under the Affordable Care Act, requires all pharmaceutical and medical device companies to report payments to physicians, including consulting fees, gifts, speaking fees, meals, travel and research grants. This information is searchable to the public on a database called Open Payments, managed by the Centers for Medicare & Medical Services.

6 Jan 2016

Study finds 50% drop in uninsured hospital stays in Medicaid expansion states

Just six months after opening up health insurance to more low-income people, states saw a huge drop in the amount of care their hospitals provided to uninsured patients, and a rise in care for people with coverage, a new study finds.

6 Jan 2016

Study supports open and patient-centered visitation guidelines in critical care settings

Watching the clock is becoming an outdated part of visiting a patient in intensive care, as more hospitals ease restrictions and develop more flexible policies focused on the preferences and needs of each patient.

5 Jan 2016

New perioperative guideline released for optimal management of geriatric patients

Responding to the needs of the country's growing older adult population, a new collaborative best practices guideline was released today for optimal care of older adults immediately before, during, and after surgical operations (a timeframe known as the "perioperative" period).

5 Jan 2016

Medicare News and Research

Patients undergoing surgery in hospitals with best nursing care have better outcomes

Virginia Mason wins Healthgrades' Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence for sixth year in row

UCLA research finds wide variations in post-acute care across different parts of the U.S.

USRDS report shows positive and negative trends in kidney disease in the U.S.

Patients enrolled in high-deductible health insurance plans use fewer diagnostic tests

Colorado state employees now have access to Paladina Health's family practice physicians

Alignment Healthcare, HCA West Florida partner to better serve Medicare beneficiaries in West Florida

Geographic location influences quality grades assigned to Medicare Advantage plans

Loyola Physician Partners selected to participate in CMS' NGACO Model

Apollo Care Connect acquires Healarium's population health management technology and operating platform

New USPSTF breast cancer screening recommendations may result in lethal consequences for women

No Jab No Pay initiative no problem for families in Cape York

Meridian Health Plan named one of 'Best and Brightest Companies to Work For'

QT Vascular reports initial results from first-in-human study of Chocolate Heart drug-coated balloon

Palliative care improves care quality, reduces costs for advanced cancer patients with comorbidities

FAU study shows benefits of regular mammography among elder women

UC San Diego School of Medicine study compares payments among different specialties

Study finds 50% drop in uninsured hospital stays in Medicaid expansion states

Study supports open and patient-centered visitation guidelines in critical care settings

New perioperative guideline released for optimal management of geriatric patients

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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