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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NPR: Temperature control in medicine delivery a rising risk

Consumers are used to getting what they need easily with the click of a button, including ordering and receiving their prescription medications through the mail. But those deliveries may be risky if medicines aren't stored and transported carefully, according to a report from NPR.

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Investigation: Johns Hopkins hospitals don’t follow safety rules

Johns Hopkins doctors invented a checklist that has saved thousands of lives, but they sometimes fail to follow the principles themselves, according to an investigation by the Tampa Bay Times.

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Top stories of 2018

Healthcare stakeholders dealt with a slurry of new regulations, policy shifts and mega deals across the industry in 2018. After a whirlwind of a year, we’ve rounded up our most popular stories from 2018.

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DOJ to take on Sutter Health in False Claims Act lawsuit

The U.S. government has jumped into a False Claims Act lawsuit stemming from a whistleblower against Sutter Health, a healthcare services company based in California, and its affiliate Palo Alto Medical Foundation.

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NIH revises funding to avoid studies with conflicts of interest

After coming under fire for funding research projects with clear conflicts of interest behind those conducting them, the National Institutes of Health has revised how it will fund future studies.

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55% of hospitals earn payment bump through value-based purchasing

Just 55 percent of hospitals will earn a payment increase under the Medicare value-based purchasing program in 2019, according to CMS.

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Humana, Kaiser have highest customer satisfaction ratings

Humana and Kaiser Permanente were the two health insurance providers with the highest customer satisfaction scores, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Financial & Insurance Report 2018.

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Consumers rate urgent care higher than EDs in Yelp reviews

In a study of Yelp reviews of emergency departments (EDs) and urgent care centers, more consumers rated urgent care centers higher.

Around the web

Compensation for heart specialists continues to climb. What does this say about cardiology as a whole? Could private equity's rising influence bring about change? We spoke to MedAxiom CEO Jerry Blackwell, MD, MBA, a veteran cardiologist himself, to learn more.

The American College of Cardiology has shared its perspective on new CMS payment policies, highlighting revenue concerns while providing key details for cardiologists and other cardiology professionals. 

As debate simmers over how best to regulate AI, experts continue to offer guidance on where to start, how to proceed and what to emphasize. A new resource models its recommendations on what its authors call the “SETO Loop.”