Surgical teams that followed a basic checklist in the operating room reduced the rate of deaths and complications by more than a third, according to a year-long, eight-nation project. The low-cost, low-tech intervention tested in eight hospitals around the globe could have enormous financial implications. If every operating room in the United States adopted the surgical checklist, the nation could save between $15 billion and $25 billion a year on the costs of treating avoidable complications, according to calculations by the authors.
At a time when many hospital expansion and improvement projects are on hold, the New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Woburn, MA, debuted a renovation to keep business up and patients confident in its services. While the $1.1-million project didn't expand the facility, increase services, or replace medical equipment, the upgrade to the cardiopulmonary wing has created a more comfortable place for patients to stay and a more efficient workspace for hospital staff. Hallmark Health System, which has hospitals in two Boston-area communities, has no planned improvements for 2009 or 2010, rather it will invest in its quality of care such as through recruiting and retraining healthcare professionals.
The Center for Fibromyalgia, Fatigue and Chronic Pain said it would close its three Chicago area locations, citing the economic downturn and a dip in payments from insurance companies. The closure of the center means 500 patients will have to find alternatives for care, said Michael McNett, MD, a family physician who ran the clinics.
Iowa Health Cardiology, a physician specialty group with the Iowa Health system, has expanded its services to a clinic in Ankeny. A doctor currently sees patients one day every two weeks, but the cardiologists hope to eventually increase the services in Ankeny to weekly visits, he said. Future plans include offering cardiology services in Altoona and at Iowa Health's new hospital in West Des Moines, which is currently under construction.
Five years after President Bush announced plans for Americans' health records to go digital, only one in five doctors has converted from paper to electronic record keeping. But when Barack Obama takes over the White House, this could change. During his campaign for president, Obama promised a $50 billion investment to store patient records electronically and his economic stimulus package is expected to contain two years worth of funding. The money would be distributed to hospitals and doctors through grants and through higher reimbursement rates when serving Medicare patients. And for doctors who do not make the switch, Obama will propose lowering reimbursements from government-subsidized healthcare programs.
Hawaii doctors plan are starting online house calls in the nation's first large-scale program of its kind that some believe could be a groundbreaking step in healthcare. The service is being provided in Hawaii by Hawaii Medical Service Association under a licensing agreement with Boston-based American Well. It is available for a fee to all Hawaii residents, including the uninsured and non-HMSA members.