Providers should expect to see some concrete action taken soon on reducing the burden of quality reporting, according to a CMS presentation on the agency’s “Meaningful Measures” initiative at the HIMSS18 conference in Las Vegas.

Sentinel events are serious adverse incidents that result in a patient dying or suffering a serious physical or psychological injury. Last year, the Joint Commission reviewed reports of 805 such events, 700 of which (87 percent) were voluntarily reported by accredited or certified facility.

Hawaii topped the second annual U.S. News and World Report state healthcare rankings, which used measures of access, quality and public health to come up with each state’s health score.

The quality of life of black patients with knee osteoarthritis is being impacted by their underutilization of total knee replacement (TKR) surgery, according to a study published in Arthritis Care & Research, with fewer black people being offered the surgery—and when it is offered, they’re less likely than white patients to get the operation.

More hospitals are screening patients on health-related social needs as the industry has recognized the importance of factors outside the healthcare system on outcomes. The investments and available funding, however, haven’t been consistent.

It may be obvious to those working in hospitals—and especially in emergency medicine—that a TV medical drama isn’t quite reality. But for patients who are regular viewers of the long-running “Grey’s Anatomy,” the show could have a real-life impact on how satisfied they are with their care.

HHS Secretary Alex Azar said he wants to reduce or possibly eliminate reporting requirements for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), instead using claims data and patient surveys so clinicians won’t have to submit any data themselves.

The California Department of Insurance is now examining Aetna’s claims denial process after a former medical director for the insurer’s Southern California operations, Jay Ken Iinuma, MD, said under oath that he never looked at a patient’s health record when deciding whether to approve a deny a claim.