News From Around the Web
> At a Senate Finance Committee hearing this week, Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) accused the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation of wasting money on high salaries and employee perks like treadmill desks, The Hill's Healthwatch blog reported. CMMI, which is tasked with finding new ways to improve efficiency in the healthcare system, has a budget of $10 billion. Article
> The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality posted a new draft technology assessment for public comment focusing on implantable defibrillators and evidence for prevention of sudden cardiac death. According to the draft document, "there is high strength of evidence that [implantable cardioverter-defibrillator] therapy for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death, versus no ICD therapy, shows benefit with regard to all cause mortality." Document (.pdf)
Provider News
> Fatigue leaves a majority of nurses concerned about their ability to perform safely, with two-thirds of nurses reporting they had nearly made a mistake at work because of fatigue and more than a quarter saying they had made a fatigue-related error, according to a survey commissioned by Kronos Incorporated. The "Nurse Staffing Strategy," released this week at the American Organization of Nurse Executives conference in Denver, found nurse fatigue also can negatively affect operational costs, as well as patient and employee satisfaction. Article
> Different hospital rating systems often end up with wildly varying assessments of hospital quality, leaving consumers confused and calling into question the value of such ratings, Kaiser Health News and The Philadelphia Inquirer reported this week. Article
Health Insurance News
> With multiple health reform deadlines looming, some states are declaring they won't enforce the law, deferring instead to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to guarantee insurers in their state comply with the provisions. So far, five states--Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming--already have notified HHS that they either can't or won't police insurers to uphold the reform provisions. Article
And Finally… Don't mess with bingo players. Article