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Editor's Picks
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Comparing the U.S. health system with Australia's
While there have been many references to government-run health services in the United Kingdom and Canada in the U.S. health reform debate, Sg2 analyst Rebecca Miller says more attention should be paid to Australia's system. Miller says that Australia may have some healthcare elements that some Americans are worried will be lost with reform, including patient choice and provider autonomy in service provision. And while there are definitely drawbacks to Australian healthcare, the country "may offer a good example of a funding and delivery system that provides universal access to healthcare and allows choice for individuals through a substantial private sector involvement in delivery and financing," Miller writes. [Read More]
Medtronic payments to doctor-consultants controversy erupts in Australia
Speaking of the land Down Under, there is more controversy concerning Minnesota-based Medtronic's payments to its doctor-consultants—this time in Australia. A Sydney newspaper cited confidential documents in saying that the medical technology giant devised a "secret marketing strategy" in 2007 to gain doctors' loyalty by paying fellowship grants. The documents indicate that the $1.5 million spent on 18 fellowship grants would likely reap a 200% return on investment in the first year. [Read More]
H1N1 epidemic exposes Argentinean hospital's flaws
This article from the Wall Street Journal describes how a children's hospital in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina, that handled many cases during a recent swine-flu epidemic is now facing criticism for its workplace conditions after some nurses died during the outbreak. The 21st of November Group, a nurse activist organization, has tallied seven nurses who died of symptoms consistent with swine flu, and scores of others who fell ill. The group contends hospitals delayed implementing safety procedures and distributing protective respirator masks, especially when the outbreak was peaking in June and July. In response, Argentinean government health officials said workers are exaggerating the toll, and that some of the recently deceased nurses have tested negative for H1N1. [Read More]
Study defends British healthcare
As mentioned above, the UK's National Health Service has faced much criticism from opponents of U.S. health reform. But the authors of a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine say the NHS has two major strengths that the U.S. can learn from: strong primary care and NICE, the agency that assesses and approves reimbursement for cost-effective treatments. In addition, primary care docs in the U.K. are well-trained and are thus able to reduce hospitalizations, unwarranted investigations, and unneeded prescriptions, according to the authors. "The jewel in the NHS crown is the strength of its primary care and its general practitioners," they write. [Read More]
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Global Health Headlines
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Senate committee tackles illegal-immigrant healthcare concerns
Los Angeles Times - September 10, 2009
Joint Commission, Eight Hospitals Tackle Hand-washing Failures
John Commins, for HealthLeaders Media - September 14, 2009
Eight Years After 9/11, Disaster Response Lessons Still Hold True
Scott Wallask, for HealthLeaders Media - September 11, 2009
Disaster plans being revised for swine flu
Washington Post - September 14, 2009
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From HealthLeaders Magazine |
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The Patient of the Future
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Physicians suggest. Patients ignore. Technology alone won't bring them together. But a new relationship just might. [Read More] |
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Service Line Management |
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Certifiable Stroke Care
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With a growing emphasis on stroke center certification, hospitals must demonstrate that they have the teams in place to treat stroke patients quickly and effectively, or risk losing patients to a competitor down the road. [Read More] |
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Audio Feature
Get Rid of the Paper Trail: Why should you go fully electronic when it comes to credentialing? For one, you could see as much as a 50% reduction in costs, says Matthew Haddad, president and CEO of Merversant, a company that offers Web-based credentialing to health plans. [Listen Now]
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