OIG targets hospice misuse of general inpatient care
Hospices with their own inpatient units provided general inpatient care (GIP) to more Medicare beneficiaries, and for longer periods of time, than hospices without such facilities, an investigation by the Office of Inspector General found.
Admission to practice-focused doctorate nursing programs up 955%
Barriers such as long hours, finances and childcare responsibilities aren't stopping nurses from obtaining advanced degrees.
Study: Continuously evolving care guidelines improve outcomes, lower costs
Hospitals should consider implementing standardized clinical assessment and management plans (SCAMP), rather than clinical practice guidelines, to reduce variation and improve care, according to a new study in this month's Health Affairs.
Bigger carrots, stronger sticks key to cost containment
Effective cost reform will require stronger Medicare and Medicaid incentives for providers and increasingly stronger sticks to discourage nonparticipation, according to an analysis published in the May issue of the journal Health Affairs.
ED resources burdened by common UTI
Emergency department visits for patients with hematuria, a common outpatient disorder, cost about $238 million a year, according to new research from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.
Pediatric mortality no higher for weekend, night admissions
New research into emergency pediatric treatment finds children admitted into intensive care units on the weekend or at night are no more likely to die than those admitted during peak staffing periods.
Providers won't see IPAB-recommended cuts till 2016
With Medicare cost growth under control for the time being, the controversial Medicare Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) is "effectively neutered" until at least fiscal 2016, The Washington Post's Wonkblog reported.
Adventist Health to pay $14.1M to settle kickback allegations
Adventist Health and its affiliated White Memorial Medical Center have agreed to pay the United States and the state of California $14.1 million to settle claims that they violated the False Claims Act, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday.
Healthcare sees 19,000 jobs boost in April
Healthcare continues to see job gains, adding 19,000 more workers in April, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Jupiter Medical Center: The when and how to use Kaizen in healthcare
Distracted hospital leaders thwart patient experience efforts
Distracted leadership is now the biggest roadblock to hospitals improving patient experience, according to The Beryl Institute's latest benchmark study.
Targeted screening can reduce spread of C. diff infection
Testing hospitalized patients with three risk factors at admission could increase the efficiency of identifying asymptomatic C. difficile carriers, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Infection Control.
Medicaid coverage improved healthcare utilization, but not outcomes
An experiment to expand Medicaid coverage in Oregon did not produced measurable improvements in physical health over a two-year period.
Med school enrollment growth won't ease doc shortage
U.S. medical schools are on pace to see enrollment reach more than 21,000 by 2017, according to a new survey from the Association of American Medical Colleges Center for Workforce Studies.
Reality check: Coordinated care is a daunting task
Surgical mortality no worse at critical access hospitals
Patients undergoing eight commonly performed surgical procedures at critical access hospitals (CAH) are no more likely to die in the hospital than patients undergoing the same surgeries at non-CAHs, a study published online Wednesday in JAMA Surgery finds.
Lee Memorial sues BP over economic damage from oil spill
Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, Fla., has sued BP and Halliburton over lost revenue related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010, the News-Press reported.
Two Montana hospitals to pay $3.9M for violating Stark Law, False Claims Act
Two Montana hospitals have agreed to pay $3.95 million to settle allegations that they paid incentives to doctors for patient referrals, then received Medicare reimbursements for those payments, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Nonprofit hospitals urged to incorporate obesity in community health benefits
Nonprofit hospitals should address obesity in new federal community health benefit requirements to qualify for federal tax-exempt status under the Affordable Care Act, according to the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance.
Tenet hospitals face federal scrutiny for alleged kickbacks
Five Tenet Healthcare Corporation hospitals in Georgia and South Carolina are under federal investigation for potential kickbacks involving a company operating prenatal clinics serving Hispanic women.
