Despite the temptation to conclude that anything that drives down medical fees is good for consumers, many policy experts have asserted that lower fees paid by insurers may result in high premium for patients, according to a Sept. 9 statement submitted to the U. S. House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee by the American Medical Association (AMA).

Hospital acquired infections are expensive, deadly and, most importantly, preventable, noted the authors of a recent study published in the September issue of Health Affairs, who found that the implementation of cost-effective prevention measures may not only save thousands of lives, but also billions of dollars.

An article published in the September edition of Health Affairs highlighted lessons from accountable care organization (ACO) models where the authors concluded that not all providers are equally ready to enter into these arrangements with health plans, thereby suggesting that flexibility be built into the design of these arrangements.

The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) board of directors has appointed Lynne Thomas Gordon, MBA, as CEO, effective Sept. 29.

A privacy breach of limited medical information caused certain patients information from the emergency department of the Stanford Hospital & Clinics to be posted on a website.

A multispecialty group practice, hospital, employers and health plans can define quality and align performance and payment along common goals, according to an article publish in the September edition of Health Affairs.

Undocumented children who have access to health insurance are healthier and more engaged in school than those without insurance, according to researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. Findings from the data were published in two separate studies.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has cut the ribbon on a new initiative to query EHRs for population health data.