Ten groups participating in the Physician Group Practice Demonstration project hit performance targets on 25 out of 27 quality measures, although only four groups qualified for performance bonuses. This has prompted some doubt, amid rising hopes, about the future feasibility of the project. This is the second in a four-year Medicare pay-for-performance project.
The American Medical Association is now looking for feedback on the 2007 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Results of the confidential survey will help the AMA and other agencies to advocate for any future changes to the PQRI.
Experts agree that improving the quality of healthcare can be as simple as paying financial incentives for more quality work as well as setting minimum quality standards for workers. However, William Roper, chairman of the board of directors of the National Quality Forum, told the Senate Finance Committee this week that changing the healthcare industry's views about quality initiatives won't happen overnight.
ClearCount Medical Solutions has developed a way to keep better track of surgical sponges: by embedding a computer chip into them. The chip will be able to be located using a low-level radio frequency wand, which also keeps a precise count of the sponges throughout the surgery process.
Walk-in clinics have opened in three CVS pharmacies throughout the Midlands region of South Carolina. Called MinuteClinics, the clinics are staffed by nurse practitioners who provide care for common ailments, such a cold, as well as offer flu shots and diabetes screenings. This offers assistance to those who are uninsured or under-insured, and subsequently can help to relieve emergency rooms of non-emergency cases.
Employers scrambling to rein in health costs tab are making employees shoulder more of the cost, and hoping they'll make better buying decisions. Some insurance companies now publish the prices charged at local hospitals for common procedures to allow patients to compare, and the federal government has started releasing death rates at hospitals across the country for some common killers. But some experts argue that the information still isn't enough for consumers to make life-or-death decisions.