|
|
|
Editor's Picks
|
Errors test openness at Beth Israel DeaconessInteresting look here at how recent events at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have tested the teaching hospital's well-known commitment to transparency. CEO Paul Levy has certainly been vocal on the need to eliminate preventable errors—and to publish progress reports for all to see. What's more, his blog, "Running a Hospital," has taken the concepts of accountability and transparency to extremes, detailing everything from Joint Commission findings to his salary as CEO. But a series of recent events—including a wrong-site ankle surgery and the death of a woman during an emergency caesarean section—have brought heightened public scrutiny upon an organization known for confronting problems head-on. [ Read More]
Staph germs harder than ever to treatAs if we needed any more bad news on the infection control front: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says staph bacteria acquired in typical community settings are looking more and more like hospital superbugs. Germs picked up on the baseball field or in the classroom are increasingly making their way into hospitals, swapping gene components with other bacteria, and becoming even more dangerous, the story says. Some of this story may not be news to many of you, but it's a good summary of some of the latest research on drug-resistant bacteria. [ Read More]
Do consumers care about cost and quality data?This analytic piece from Sg2 covers some of the same ground as my column from last week, which looked at the Kaiser Family Foundation's findings on consumers' viewing habits when it comes to quality data. But this story looks at some additional numbers from Kaiser's survey while also considering a second survey—this one of 1,500 primary care physicians—that found many frontline clinicians are skeptical of some of the quality comparison information that's out there. Only 21% of respondents considered the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Hospital Compare and other government Web sites to be reliable. [ Read More]
|
|
This Week's Headlines
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
From HealthLeaders Magazine |
|
Model for Success
|
Running a medical group has never been more complex. But many practices have found ways to not only survive?but thrive. [Read More] |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Leaders Forum
Critical Test Result Management: Time for Solutions
Due to communication errors within American hospitals, many patients suffer consequences from delayed communication of critical test results and significant, unexpected findings. In ongoing efforts to fix this, The Joint Commission has named improvement of effective communication among caregivers its No. 2 National Patient Safety Goal for the fifth year. [Read More]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Upcoming Events
Financial Meltdown
The credit markets that have been a drag on Wall Street and the global economy have not spared healthcare. In this timely 90-minute, interactive webcast, Peter W. Bruton, managing director of RBC Capital Markets' Healthcare Finance Group, Arlan Dohrmann, Managing Director of Stern Brothers & Co., and Paul Keckley, Ph.D., executive director for the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions will share their near-term outlook for the credit markets, and some survival strategies to protect your capital structure. Join us for this program, Financial Meltdown: Managing Through the Crisis, on Monday, November 3 at 1 p.m. For more information visit HCPro's Healthcare Marketplace.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Audio Feature
Marya Chaisson, MD, and Todd Liu of Griffin Hospital, in Derby, CT, talk about involving the community in Griffin's Patient Centered Care Council, which ensures services meet the culturally diverse needs of patients. [Listen Now]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
