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EMR Software and Malpractice

EMR Software and Malpractice

For any physician, the potential of having to address a malpractice claim represents a major area of concern. It is thus in the best interest of medical professionals everywhere to mitigate this risk wherever and whenever possible. Reduce Medical Malpractice A recent study in Massachusetts by Harvard Medical School has found a positive relationship between …

FDA Approves First Pre-Surgical Breast Cancer-Fighting Drug

FDA Approves First Pre-Surgical Breast Cancer-Fighting Drug

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a biotech drug from Roche, offering an earlier approach to treat breast cancer before surgery. Perjeta, approved by the European Union in 2012, is now available to patients in the US. A New First Step Typically the first step to fight most forms of cancer is surgery …

Anesthesia Documentation Lagging

Anesthesia Documentation Lagging

A survey taken by the Academic Health Sciences Centre of Canada and published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine found wide-ranging inconsistencies between recorded anesthetic data. To conduct the survey, the research team provided questionnaires to four different adult McGill University hospitals. Anesthesiologists were asked to rank operational variables on a scale of 1 …

Oregon Reduces Number of Frequent ER Patients

Oregon Reduces Number of Frequent ER Patients

America faces a physician shortage that is only set to intensify when the Affordable Care Act takes full effect in January of 2014. A number of ongoing efforts are being made to streamline the care process for patients without compromising their level of care. In July of 2012, hospitals in Oregon began a program aimed …

New Action Set Reduces Hospital Readmissions

New Action Set Reduces Hospital Readmissions

A new set of protocols has been found to be effective in reducing the number of patient readmissions following their initial discharge. The Re-engineered Discharge Toolkit Researchers at the Boston University Medical Center have established the Re-engineered Discharge Toolkit, or “RED.” The researchers amended and expanded on a list of proactive steps aimed at limiting …

Hospital Readmission Rates are Down

Hospital Readmission Rates are Down

Hospital Readmission Rates are Down New data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services shows that there has been improvement in hospital readmission rates over the last several years. While hospital readmission rates have been steady over the last five years, these new numbers show a small but significant readmission downturn in recent times. …

Medicare Spending Doesn’t Lead to Increase

Medicare Spending Doesn’t Lead to Increase

Increased Medicare Spending on Advanced Cancer Care Doesn’t Lead to Increase in Survival Rates A new study has called into question the notion that increased spending on cancer care results in greater patient survival rates. The study looked at hospitals in 80 different referral regions. These referral regions collectively represented 25 percent of the US …

CMS Extends Payment Programs

CMS Extends Payment Programs

CMS Extends Payment Programs for Rural and Low-Volume Hospitals Rural and low volume hospitals will be experiencing a bit of good fortune in the coming months – this is because the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have recently announced an extension to provisions which provide supplemental payment to hospitals which have fewer than 100 …

Infection Rates Are On the Decline

Infection Rates Are On the Decline

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that hospitals are making headway in reducing patient infection rates. CDC Infection Findings Since 2008, infection rates have dropped in a number of categories. Central line-associated infections dropped by 41 percent, and these gains in prevention were particularly strongly represented in intensive care …

Universal EMR Implementation in Taiwan

Universal EMR Implementation in Taiwan

In the United States, current regulations and incentives have been put in place to pave the way for more widespread usage of EMR technology. In a perfect world, this will eventually lead to universal compliance by medical professionals and a streamlined system that improves patients’ care, while at the same time allowing medical professionals to …