News From Around the Web
> An interview-style study conducted by Johns Hopkins and published by the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety found the most effective ways to improve healthcare for older adults include preventing medication mistakes, facilitating communication among healthcare providers and improving patient education. Study abstract
> The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning that this year's flu season will be particularly severe because of mutations seen in the virus that make the vaccine less effective--though it still urges those at high risk to get vaccinated. Statement
> While millennials place less importance on their own medical care than other generations, they are the most likely to embrace their employers' efforts to promote their overall health, according to a survey conducted by consultancy Aon Hewitt. Report
Health Finance News
> Healthcare spending in the United States rose 3.6 percent in 2013, according to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and published in the journal Health Affairs. Article
> The American Hospital Association wants the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to loosen its new proposed rules regarding kickback prevention in Medicare accountable care organizations, saying that in some areas it will actually impede the delivery of healthcare services. Article
And Finally… The holiday art of yarn bombing. Article