Janice Simmons, Senior Editor

Recent studies and reports linking radiation overexposure to cancer risks, illness, and even death may be the start of a new era in the diagnostic and therapeutic uses of radiation. How can we best reap the benefits while avoiding the risks? [Read More]

March 4, 2010

Editor's Picks

Trained Interpreters Improve Patient and Provider Satisfaction, Says Study
As the Joint Commission introduced standards for medical interpreters, a new study reveals that the use of trained language specialists to assist physician-patient communication dramatically improves satisfaction in emergency room settings with non-English speaking patients. According to Mathematica Policy Research, a nonpartisan survey team, the use of professional interpreter services dramatically increased satisfaction with patient-provider communication during an ED visit. [Read More]

Consider Human Factors Engineering When Designing Patient Safety Projects
When Barbara Wilson, PhD, RNC, begins any new patient safety project, she first examines the principles of human factors engineering. Wilson, assistant professor at Arizona State University's College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Center for Improving Health Outcomes in Children, Teens, & Families, says that to ensure her staff members' success, it's imperative to examine how current processes may fail. [Read More]

Hospital Hopes iPhone App Will Improve Patient Satisfaction, Efficiency
Proponents of The Hospital of Central Connecticut's newly available iPhone application that posts wait times at its facilities' emergency rooms say the information will improve both patient satisfaction and ED efficiency. [Read More]

Proposed EHR Certification Program Won't Inhibit Innovation, Says Blumenthal
Is your EHR meaningful use compliant? Healthcare providers may soon be able to find out for sure. The Department of Health and Human Services released a proposed rule for establishing certification programs for health information technology. The proposed rule describes the creation of a certification program for EHRs, as mandated by the HITECH Act. [Read More]

AMA leader disappointed that pay cut issue still unresolved
American Medical Association President-Elect Dr. Cecil Wilson talked this week with C-SPAN about the Medicare and Medicaid budgets, the proposed 21.2% Medicare physician payment cut, and his quotes that were in a recent HealthLeaders Media article. [Read More]

Mission Driven, Financially Strong
Why is it that in times of economic stress, some hospitals manage through with strength to spare while others fall? While it may be tempting to say that those hospitals that thrive have the best payer mix or the most profitable service lines, often the deciding factor is the leadership's commitment to core principles of sound financial management. In this free HealthLeaders Media Breakthroughs report, four leading hospital systems—Banner Health, Southwest General Health Center, The University of Kansas Hospital, and Parkland Health & Hospital System—share the lessons they have learned to help them identify cost-cutting measures that also add value to care efficiency, make strategic investments in areas under your control, and refocus on the fundamentals of financial discipline. [Read More]

This Week's Headlines

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Possible prostate case error at University of Pennsylvania hospital
Philadelphia Inquirer – March 4, 2010

Waterbury (CT) Hospital disciplined over violations
Hartford Courant – March 4, 2010

Cutting the risk from CT scans
Wall Street Journal Health Blog – March 2, 2010

Rising threat of infections unfazed by antibiotics
New York Times – March 1, 2010

Webcasts/Audio Conferences

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Physician Compensation Models in a Strained Economy (March 8)

Cancer Service Line Success: Better Coordination, Better Outcomes (March 30)

Beyond ROI: Prove the Success of Your Marketing Efforts (March 31)