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HHS quality report 2009 shows increase in hospital-acquired infections

"The Health and Human Services department's 2009 quality report to Congress found 'very little progress' on eliminating hospital-acquired infections and called for 'urgent attention' to address the shortcomings — first brought to light a decade ago." Specifically, the report found that, for three out of the five major types of serious hospital-related infections, the rate of illness increased.

15 Apr 2010

CWRU School of Medicine becomes OHIP's REC for Ohio

Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine has received $7,942,500 million in federal stimulus funds from the Ohio Health Information Partnership (OHIP), the state designated entity for health information exchange development. The funding will position CWRU School of Medicine as a regional extension center (REC) which allows it to help 1,765 health care providers in Lorain, Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties advance the use of health information technology (HIT) in their practices.

15 Apr 2010

Better safety performance in health care settings associated with reduced malpractice claims

Reducing the number of preventable patient injuries in California hospitals from 2001 to 2005 was associated with a corresponding drop in malpractice claims against physicians, according to a study issued today by the RAND Corporation.

15 Apr 2010

HHS 2009 quality report shows increase in hospital-acquired infections

The Associated Press: "The Health and Human Services department's 2009 quality report to Congress found 'very little progress' on eliminating hospital-acquired infections and called for 'urgent attention' to address the shortcomings — first brought to light a decade ago."

15 Apr 2010

Stress and genetic factors may raise depression among medical interns

The percentage of clinicians who meet criteria for depression appears to increase significantly during medical internship, according to a report posted online that will appear in the June print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

13 Apr 2010

e-MDs experiences 36.5% increase in organic sales

e-MDs, an industry leader in the development and implementation of electronic health records and practice management solutions, is proud to announce it has increased its total employee count by 36%, expanding most all departments with both entry level and senior positions. e-MDs has also experienced a 36.5% increase in organic sales alone since the beginning of 2010.

13 Apr 2010

Wireless technology and data systems transforming health care

News outlets report on the way that health information technology is changing the practice of medicine.

12 Apr 2010

Hospitalists shape the future of American healthcare system

On March 21, 2010, Congress passed the most comprehensive healthcare reform bill since the formation of Medicare. While a monumental achievement, the bill leaves much of the critical work of healthcare reform unfinished, according to a new editorial by Dr. Robert Wachter, Chief of the Division of Hospital Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, and past president of the Society of Hospital Medicine, in the April issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine.

9 Apr 2010

English language test for foreign doctors in EU “a matter of extreme urgency”

The European commission is working on changing the existing EU laws that allow the free movement of labour especially regarding health care personnel since the regulators have raised the issue of patient safety. The issue here is mandatory English language tests for all foreign doctors working in the UK.

9 Apr 2010

Medical community and MPs react to deaths caused by inept foreign doctors

German doctor Daniel Ubani accidentally killed patient David Gray on his first UK shift as an out-of-hours locum GP. The death of the man aged 70 occurred from an overdose of diamorphine administered by Ubani whose poor English skills are being blamed. This has lead to a strong reaction from the local medical community and the MPs.

8 Apr 2010

Berwick, Blumenthal may form dream team at CMS

Healthcare IT News: "If Donald Berwick, MD, is confirmed as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, he and David Blumenthal, MD, the national coordinator for health IT, would be a 'dream team' in pursuing a coherent national healthcare and health IT strategy. At least that's the assessment of Kerry Weems, who spent 25 years in senior roles at the Health and Human Services Department and was acting administrator of CMS from Sept. 2007 until the Obama administration took over.

7 Apr 2010

Reform promotes patient safety by creating payment incentives, making mistakes public

The Albany Times Union: "More than a million Americans are harmed each year as a result of their medical care — not their underlying condition — and an estimated 100,000 die. Another 100,000 people die from hospital-acquired infections. In addition to expanding coverage to the uninsured, the health reform law attacks the problem of medical errors on two fronts: It establishes new payment incentives for safer care, and makes some mistakes public."

2 Apr 2010

Patient-safety incidents: 10% died

Nearly one million patient-safety incidents occurred among Medicare patients over the years 2006, 2007, 2008, a figure virtually unchanged since last year's annual study of patient safety by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization. In all, the incidents were associated with $8.9 billion in costs. One in ten patients -- 99,180 individuals -- experiencing a patient-safety incident died as a result, the study found.

1 Apr 2010

New health care reform law includes patient safety provisions

While most of the attention surrounding the landmark health care reform measure just signed into law has focused on how it expands access to affordable insurance coverage, it also enacts important initiatives that will improve patient safety, according to Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports.

1 Apr 2010

MITA supports FDA's interest to reduce exposure to medical radiation, minimize medical errors

The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance, the leading association representing the manufacturers, innovators and developers of medical imaging and radiation therapy systems, today said it is supportive of the Food and Drug Administration's ongoing interest to further reduce exposure to unnecessary medical radiation and minimize medical errors.

31 Mar 2010

Likeley CMS pick Berwick has big ideas on fixing U.S. health care delivery

Dr. Donald Berwick is reportedly the president's choice to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

31 Mar 2010

Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority hires two Patient Safety Liaisons for Southeast region

The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority has hired its final two Patient Safety Liaisons for the Southeast region to serve as educational patient safety consultants to healthcare facilities that submit reports through the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System.

30 Mar 2010

As CMS nominee, Berwick would face changes and challenges

President Barack Obama will soon nominate Dr. Donald M. Berwick to "run Medicare and Medicaid, the programs that serve nearly one-third of all Americans, administration officials said Saturday," The New York Times reports.

29 Mar 2010

APP adds eClinicalWorks' EMR system to CI Program

In its continuing efforts to enhance patient outcomes and create efficiency in a challenging economic and regulatory climate, Advocate Physician Partners, has added the power of an electronic medical record system to its award-winning Clinical Integration Program. APP, the largest network of independent physicians in the Midwest, is partnering with eClinicalWorks® in one of the biggest EMR implementations in the country.

29 Mar 2010

Doctors, nurses and front office staff help optimize Practice Fusion's EHR system

Practice Fusion celebrates the unique contribution of its 31,000 doctors, nurses and front office staff users in helping optimize the company's free, web-based Electronic Health Record system. The fastest growing EHR community in the country, Practice Fusion, today launched a new community page where users can interact in real-time.

27 Mar 2010