Value-Based Metrics Penalize Top-Performing Hospitals
Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston found that hospitals awarded by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology for their high-quality care for acute myocardial infarction and heart failure were more likely to be financially penalized under value-based programs than other hospitals.
New Data on Sepsis Prevalence and Costs ‘Astonished’ DHHS Researchers
Sepsis is diagnosed in at least 1.7 million adults annually in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 270,000 Americans die from sepsis every year, and 1 in 3 patients who die in hospitals are diagnosed with sepsis, the CDC says.
Vitamin and Steroid Treatment for Sepsis Fails in Major Study
Currently, the only treatment option for sepsis is an aggressive regimen of antibiotics. However, this is only partially effective, and even an hour delay in antibiotics increases the odds of mortality by 10%.
CDC: Focus on Protecting Staff and Supplies as Coronavirus Concerns Grow
If possible, patients under investigation should be given a surgical mask and moved to a negative pressure room. Healthcare workers should use appropriate PPE, including eye protection that should be goggles and not safety glasses.
CMS Urges Providers to Prep for 2019-nCoV
In QSO 20-09-ALL, CMS noted that healthcare organizations have been told to consider emerging infectious diseases as part of the all-hazards approach to emergency preparedness all healthcare providers have been required to follow since 2016. The memo also notes that the CDC continues to issue information on the 2019-nCoV that began in China at the end of last year and has infected thousands, including more than 600 people who have died.
Novel Coronavirus: What Clinicians Should Know
As of February 4, more than 20,000 cases of infections had been reported, with 98.9% of the cases in China, and the virus had been tied to more than 400 deaths.
Rapidly Spreading Wuhan Coronavirus Could Become Pandemic Soon
As of February 4, the number of 2019-nCoV cases is estimated at 20,701, with 427 deaths and 727 patients considered recovered, according to a dashboard created by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Emergency Preparedness: Expect the Unexpected
While domestic numbers of the virus are still low, the situation serves as a reminder that hospitals and health systems need to be prepared for whatever virus, outbreak, disaster, or emergency event comes their way.
WHO Declares Wuhan Coronavirus a Public Health Emergency
The CDC confirmed that 2019-nCoV has spread between two people in the U.S. The latest patient is an Illinois resident with no history of travel to Wuhan, but shared a household with a patient diagnosed with the virus on January 21.
Open Communication Softens Impact of Medical Errors on Patients and Families
The study features survey and interview data collected from 253 Massachusetts adults who had experienced a medical error personally or through a family member. Open communication was defined with six elements, including acknowledgment of the error, whether the error was discussed openly and truthfully, and whether the error was discussed in terms that were easily understood.