Quality and Safety
Last month’s decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta that struck down the individual insurance mandate has finally put the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on course for what has been inevitable from the beginning: a date with the justices of the United States Supreme Court.
Various stakeholders in the healthcare system have talked for years about applying to the healthcare system the engineering concepts that have made manufacturers like Toyota so efficient and successful. While those working in the field have been slow to adopt those concepts, more and more people are seeing the value in doing so.
Like other industry sectors, healthcare will reduce costs by driving quality as it rolls out ACOs and other health reform components, says CMS chief Donald Berwick.
Increased consolidation of health plans could benefit consumers by helping to drive hospital costs lower, according to a new study by RAND Corp.
Charges were filed Wednesday against 91 defendants, including doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, for their alleged participation in Medicare fraud schemes involving approximately $295 million in false billing, announced Attorney General Eric Holder and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
As "consumerism" is taking an increasing role in controlling healthcare costs, Consumer Reports will publish a story in its October issue detailing strategies consumers can use to haggle for lower prices with doctors and hospitals.
As a source of high patient volume as well as anxiety, creating a high quality, safe, uninterrupted and efficient emergency department is an important goal for any hospital.
In the wake of some recent high-profile data breaches, the importance of breach preparedness programs and cyber liability insurance is coming into sharp focus as a way for companies to protect themselves from costly security failures. Risk management expert Brian Lapidus gives his top four tips for minimizing the financial impact of a breach.
A recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) attempting to examine the quality of care provided at some private investment nursing homes was basically meaningless say those in the industry.
The Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday awarded $40 million in grants to public health departments across the country to help them strengthen their infrastructure, performance and efficiency and to create new jobs.