How Does Your Hospital Compare on Hospital Acquired Conditions?
Medicare now lists how hospitals compare on eight Hospital Acquired Conditions (HACs) at its website. But don’t expect to find easy-to-read summary results at this time. The CMS Web site…
How Safe Is Your Hospital?
Hospitals are dangerous places to be. At least if you are a patient. In a Health Affairs study, my colleagues Pam Villarreal and Biff Jones and I estimate that as…
Can Thinking Younger Make You Live Longer?
This is from a paper by Laura M. Hsu via Robin Hanson: This is from a paper by Laura M. Hsu via Robin Hanson: First, women who think they look…
Senior Fitness, Obesity and Medicaid – Weighty Issues!
Obesity carries with it inherent health problems. Obesity carries with it inherent health problems. Combine obesity and old age and you exacerbate age-related decline. A new study published in the New…
How to Measure Happiness
Nowadays, a lot of folks pursue happiness as if it were their primary mission in life. But what is happiness? Nowadays, a lot of folks pursue happiness as if it…
Drug Shortages Continue–UCLA Spends 2 Hours A Day Checking on Cancer Drug Availability
You can read a short clip below how the director of oncology at UCLA spends 2 hours a day checking the supply of crucial cancer drugs at the 6 clinics. …
Heart Disease in Women: Ladies, Love Your Heart All Year Long
By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA American Heart Month may be officially over, but don’t let the lack of media attention fool you into…
ACOs: Millions of Web Hits…Dozens of Theories…One Bottom Line
9 million. That’s how many web hits are returned during a Google search for “Accountable Care Organization,” and reflects the countless articles, white papers and opinions that have been published…
Doctor Busted For Patient Information Inadvertently Exposed on Facebook
Well how did this happen without a name? The patient’s condition she spoke about was unique enough that someone out there identified the patient. This is just one more reason…
Upcoding
Would Congressman Ryan’s proposal solve this problem? Would Congressman Ryan’s proposal solve this problem? Medicare Part B pays outpatient physicians according to the billed Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, which…
