HealthLeaders Media QualityLeaders - August 27, 2009 | Let's Pay Attention to Medication Use in the Reform Debate View as a Webpage | Subscribe for Free
Let's Pay Attention to Medication Use in the Reform Debate
Janice Simmons, Senior Editor
In the midst of the healthcare reform debate, one topic seems to be missing: Addressing the problem of patients who fail to take their medications as prescribed by their physicians. According to a study I reported on earlier this month from the non-profit New England Healthcare Institute, this problem may be more widespread than expected. [Read More]
     
 
August 27, 2009
 
     
 
Editor's Picks
Universal Patient Floor Increases Flow, Decreases Handoffs
In 2007, Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles rolled out a "universal floor" during an expansion project. In the time that has passed, Cedars Sinai's innovation has lowered wait times for patients being admitted from the emergency department and elsewhere, reduced the number of patient safety events, and increased staff member satisfaction. [Read More]
Americans Doubt Healthcare Reform Will Improve Quality, Cost
Most Americans are satisfied with the status quo for their own healthcare and are doubtful that reforming the system will create affordable or better quality medical care, according to a Thomson Reuters study. [Read More]
Going Low Tech Might Reduce Costly Hospital Admissions in Chronic Heart Failure
Any hospital dealing with significant numbers of congestive heart failure patients would want to reduce costly admissions with better management for people in their homes. And Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, 237 bed facility in Northern Virginia, is no different. [Read More]
Physician Quality Officer Model Takes on a Successful New Look
Quality improvement is something that UMASS Memorial Medical Center has been focusing on since 2007 when Robert A. Klugman, MD, came on board as senior vice president, chief quality officer, and medical director of managed care. One of his main focuses was changing the existing role of physician quality officers from the traditional role to a new and improved role. [Read More]
This Week's Headlines
Pitching patient safety and hospital transparency on YouTube
Wall Street Journal blog, August 25, 2009
Hospitals own up to errors
Wall Street Journal, August 25, 2009
No push for national medical-errors database
San Francisco Chronicle, August 24, 2009
Two-thirds get medical tests with radiation dose
The Boston Globe/Associated Press, August 27, 2009
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