LeapFrog Releases Biannual Hospital Safety Grades
The safety ratings’ release coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Institute of Medicine’s shocking report, To Err Is Human, which showed that nearly 100,000 people die every year due to preventable medical errors. Other research has shown that number could be twice as high.
Medicare Fraud Carries Heavy Price Tag for Scammed Patients
In 2013, fraud and abuse by clinicians contributed to 6,700 premature deaths, and study lead author Lauren Nicholas says that number is a low-ball estimate because it does not factor in other government-sponsored health insurance, commercial health insurance or the uninsured.
Metabolic Surgery Linked to Significantly Lower Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
The recent research features data collected from more than 13,000 patients—2,287 patients who underwent metabolic surgery and 11,435 patients in a control group that did not have surgery.
Lehman Report Analyzes Cost of Medical Errors Despite Healthcare Progress
The latest report from the Center, titled The Financial and Human Cost of Medical Error, sought to analyze the financial and human cost of medical errors—both in Massachusetts and nationwide—associated with services covered by health insurance.
FMH Reduces Sepsis Mortality by 65 Percent with MEDITECH
By: Debra O’Connell and Lauren Small US hospitals are challenged by evolving, and often disparate, sepsis guidelines, including the Surviving Sepsis Campaign, CMS SEP-1 Core Measure, and The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3). Recognizing the need for a comprehensive approach to sepsis care, Frederick Memorial Hospital designed a three-pronged strategy … Continued
Minority Women More Likely to Die from Pregnancy-Related Complications
The disparity worsens as the women age, CDC found. Pregnancy-related deaths per 100,000 live births were four to five times higher for black and American Indian / Alaska Native women age 30 or older than for white women of the same age.
Report: Medical Schools Don’t Teach Doctors How to Discuss Safe Abortion With Patients
After interviewing 74 OB-GYN medical students. Benjamin E.Y. Smith, MD, and his colleagues found that more than half of the students used the term “elective” to differentiate some abortions from others.
Many Hospital ERs Lagging in ‘Pediatric Readiness’
According to a new study, critically ill children brought to hospital EDs that aren’t prepared to care for pediatric emergencies face more than three times the odds of dying compared to children brought to hospitals well-equipped to care for them.
Arming PCPs to Screen and Intervene on Behavioral Health
At a time when the prevalence of drug overdoses is contributing to a reduction in life expectancy, when alcohol accounts for one in every 10 adult deaths in the United States, and when depression and suicide rates continue to rise at an unprecedented rate, there is renewed impetus to treat substance use and mental health issues like other health conditions.
When Is a Doctor Too Old for the Job?
According to a 2017 study published in JAMA Surgery, the number of practicing physicians older than 65 in the United States has increased by more than 374% since 1975. In addition, in 2015, 23% of practicing physicians were 65 or older.