News From Around the Web
> Hospitals could potentially affect 15 percent of their value-based purchasing (VBP) incentive payments by improving nurse communication, concludes a new report from Press Ganey. Better nurse communication often leads to an better hospital staff responsiveness, more communication about medication and increased overall patient experience scores. Report
> Surveys focused on a patient's quality of life could help them live longer, better lives, according to a new scientific statement published this week in the journal Circulation. The American Heart Association notes quality-of-life surveys can help predict death, future cardiac events, hospitalization and costs of care. Statement
> Nonprofit and for-profit hospitals contributed $98 billion to Pennsylvania's economy in 2011, including supporting more than 585,000 jobs, according to a report released yesterday by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania. But the report warns Affordable Care Act and sequesration cuts could reduced hospitals' economic impact. Announcement
Provider News
> According to experts, the best way to ensure cost information is used appropriately is for physicians and patients to engage in discussions, case by case, about how costs should be factored into the overall decision-making process. Article
> Although the typical office visit is a frantic sprint for many doctors and their patients, some physicians have made a deliberate effort to slow down. Article
And Finally… Dogs and dog owners have a lot in common--skin bacteria. Article