The first step to helping emergency room patients feel better could be telling them how long they'll have to wait, according to a national survey conducted by healthcare consulting firm Press Ganey. The survey of more than 1.5 million patients in over 1,600 ERs found that although satisfaction decreased the longer a patient waited, consistent communication with ER staff helped people feel comfortable and cared for.
West Virginia University has fired a consulting firm that had cited severe medical and financial problems confronting the university's $1 billion healthcare enterprise. Fred R. Butcher, interim vice president of WVU's Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, said an interim report by R&V Associates contained "many errors of fact and understanding." The report on the university cited "alarming deficiencies" in cardiovascular surgery; "serious leadership and productivity issues" in the anesthesia department, which will post an estimated loss of $12 million to $14 million this fiscal year; and an "alarming lack of surgeons."
A jury has awarded a Lauderhill, FL, family $35 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit that accused Broward General Medical Center of causing irreversible brain damage to their child by botching the delivery. Following the verdict, the hospital district that operates Broward General released a statement saying that while it wishes to extend its condolences to the family, the district is "deeply disappointed with the verdict and are currently evaluating and considering our options regarding this matter going forward."
As the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1.7 million Americans acquire infections in hospitals every year, a New Jersey physicist and his son have introduced GloveGard, a medical exam glove sterilization device they invented to help combat hospital infections. The device is said to kill namely MRSA and C. diff, two of the most threatening and common bacteria.
Rising water from the Cedar River forced the evacuation of a hospital in downtown Cedar Rapids, IA, after residents of more than 3,000 homes fled for higher ground. The hospital's 176 patients, including about 30 patients in a nursing home facility at the hospital, were being evacuated to other hospitals in the region. The evacuation started late Thursday night and continued Friday morning. Cedar Rapids was among the hardest hit communities in the state, and Iowa Gov. Chet Culver declared 83 of the state's 99 counties as disaster areas while nine rivers were at or above historic flood levels.
Hospitals and health clinics are increasingly turning to "undercover patients" to evaluate the performance of doctors and their staffs, and to grade the healthcare experience being offered. As a result, the ethics council of the American Medical Association is pressing the doctors group to endorse such practices. AMA delegates are expected to vote on the proposal during their five-day meeting beginning June 14. Some doctors are outraged at the idea, however, saying that the practice is deceitful and could have disastrous consequences.