Quality

The focus of quality improvement in healthcare is to bolster performance and processes related to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Leaders in this space also ensure the proper selection of imaging exams and procedures, and monitor the safety of services, among other duties. Reimbursement programs such as the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) utilize financial incentives to improve quality. This also includes setting and maintaining care quality initiatives, such as the requirements set by the Joint Commission.

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Three diagnostic mistakes account for 75% of malpractice claims

Just three categories of diagnostic errors account for roughly 75% of all serious misdiagnosis-related harms to patients, according to a new study published in Diagnosis. 

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One nonprofit hospital is aggressively pursuing the poor for medical debts

Methodist University Hospital, based in Memphis, Tennessee, is a nonprofit hospital operator with its own collections agency that ruthlessly pummels low-income patients over unpaid medical bills by taking them to court, according to a sort by ProPublica.

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Patients have more complications when they have a rude doctor

If a coworker of a surgeon complains about their unprofessional behavior in the workplace, patients are more likely to suffer with higher rates of complications, according to a recent study published in JAMA Surgery.

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UNC Children’s Hospital suspends complex heart surgeries after media investigation

North Carolina Children’s Hospital has suspended heart surgeries for complex cases in the aftermath of an explosive New York Times investigation that found the hospital’s heart unit had an alarmingly high mortality rate.

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Are Americans the worst patients in the world?

That’s the question David Freedman tried to answer in an article in The Atlantic, pointing out that the high cost of the U.S. healthcare system could come down to the patients themselves.

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Vaccine tested for Alzheimer’s disease prevention

Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive brain disorder with no known cure that affects more than 5.5 million Americans, may finally be preventable. That’s if a vaccine developed by researchers at the University of New Mexico currently being tested turns out to be viable, reports local news outlet KRQE.

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Kaiser study finds unmet social needs are a barrier to care

At a time when more healthcare stakeholders are looking to integrate care across providers and provide better care coordination for patients, addressing social determinants of health is gaining prominence.

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Burnout is now classified by the World Health Organization

WHO has added burnout to its international classification of diseases, giving it an ICD-11 code, the organization announced May 28. While WHO noted burnout is an occupational phenomenon and not a medical condition, it is notable that symptoms can affect health status.

Around the web

In the post-COVID era, wages for permanent RNs are rising, and wages for travelers are decreasing. A new report tracked these trends and more. 

Two medical device companies have announced a transaction that could shake up the U.S. electrophysiology market. 

These companies were already part of the Johnson & Johnson family, but they had still retained their previous brand names. Now, each one is officially going by Johnson & Johnson MedTech. 

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