Obamacare Expansion A Bumpy Ride For Rural Health Clinics

Kaiser Health News, August 3, 2016

After a more than two-year moratorium on nearly all new adult patients, a California community health center has reopened its doors this month. The facility’s director discusses the experience of adjusting to the changes wrought by the Affordable Care Act.

More Than Half Of Hospitals To Be Penalized For Excess Readmissions

Kaiser Health News, August 3, 2016
The number of hospitals being penalized will be around the same as last year. But Medicare said the penalties are expected to total $528 million, about $108 million more than last year, because of changes in how readmissions are measured.

Web Tool Reduced Medical Missteps During Hospital-Shift Changes: Study

Kaiser Health News, August 2, 2016

Researchers analyzed the effect of a web-based tool that uses patient medical records to enhance communication during the patient handoff. The number of medical mistakes was cut in half the year after the hospital introduced the software tool and taught employees how to...

For Hospitals, Prestige Leads To Profits

Kaiser Health News, August 1, 2016

Many of the hospitals best-positioned to earn profits are non-profits. They are the largest hospitals, and the ones with the most prestige.

Opioid Dependence Leads To ‘Tsunami’ Of Medical Services, Study Finds

Kaiser Health News, August 1, 2016

The primary diagnosis of opioid dependency kicks off a number of medical services, including office visits, lab tests and other related treatments. The number of such services rendered to patients with a dependency diagnosis went from about 217,000 in 2007 to about 7...

University Of California OKs $8.5 Million Payout In Spine Surgery Cases

Kaiser Health News, August 1, 2016

The cases shine a light on the controversial role industry money continues to play in research and patient care at academic medical centers.

30 Percent Of Children’s Readmissions May Be Preventable

Kaiser Health News, July 29, 2016

In more than three-quarters of pediatric readmissions studied, researchers determined that hospital-related factors played a role.

This article first appeared July 29, 2016 on the...

Congressman Decries Olympus’ Failure To Warn U.S. Hospitals About Tainted Scopes

Kaiser Health News, July 27, 2016

Internal Olympus emails reveal that the company’s “actions in this case were despicable,” says a California lawmaker.

medicare

Medicare Prepares To Go Forward With New Hospital Quality Ratings

Kaiser Health News, July 22, 2016

In a preemptive effort to rebut criticisms, CMS noted its analysis shows "hospitals of all types are capable of performing well on star ratings and also have opportunities for improvement." The ratings will be released "shortly."

New Funding Seeks to Help Clinics Swamped by Demand For Dental Care

Kaiser Health News, July 20, 2016

Visits to private dental offices fell by 9% from 2006 to 2012, but adults have been seeking more care at health centers and emergency departments, where dental appointments have increased 74% and 20% respectively.

This...

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