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Quality and Safety

By Ed Howe | 11:20 am | August 09, 2011
This year I have blogged often about the need for pharmacy and medical device companies to stop using inappropriate financial deals to help market their products and as an avenue to build relationships with physicians.
By Stephanie Bouchard | 10:05 am | August 09, 2011
The Physician Group Practice (PGP) demonstration project championed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has resulted in quality improvements and Medicare savings and resulted in $110 million in incentive payments CMS announced Monday.
By Rene Letourneau | 09:50 am | August 08, 2011
A Houston-area nursing home employee was arrested last week on charges of conspiracy, healthcare fraud and violations of the anti-kickback statute for unlawfully billing federal healthcare programs for ambulance transport, announced U.S. Attorney José Angel Moreno and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.
By Stephanie Bouchard | 11:27 am | August 05, 2011
Many self-help gurus will say it's not helpful to compare yourself to others but a new study released Thursday comparing the administrative costs of physicians' offices in the United States and Canada brings home the point that standardizing administrative operations reduces costs and lessens hassles.
By Rene Letourneau | 11:38 am | August 04, 2011
Lack of breastfeeding in the U.S. costs $2.2 billion annually in medical expenses for diseases that could have been prevented, says a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
By Rene Letourneau | 11:12 am | August 03, 2011
A senate committee released a report Wednesday that shows access to child-only health insurance plans has declined significantly since passage of the Affordable Care Act.
By Kester Freeman | 10:12 am | August 03, 2011
While many of the causes for readmission are out of a hospital's control, hospitals will be obligated to get involved in the whole spectrum of care for a patient and will be held accountable if patients are readmitted to a hospital within a certain time period.
By Stephanie Bouchard | 02:07 pm | July 29, 2011
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should replace its 35-year-old 510(k) clearance process for medical devices, says a new report issued by the Institute of Medicine.
By Stephanie Bouchard | 11:08 am | July 29, 2011
As Medicare spending on hospice care for nursing facility residents continues to grow, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should more closely scrutinize hospices, concludes a report from the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General.
By Rene Letourneau | 04:44 pm | July 28, 2011
Two Brooklyn, N.Y., pharmacists were arrested on Wednesday on healthcare fraud charges for their alleged participation in a scheme to defraud Medicare Part D of more than $3 million, announced the Department of Justice, FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).