Finding minute traces of antibiotic-resistant Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, bacteria in hospital rooms can be difficult—but not if you’ve got a dog's heightened sense of smell. 

A larger practice doesn’t translate to better care for patients with multiple conditions, but having greater experience treating high-needs patients just might, according to a study published in the March issue of Health Affairs.

In 2012, CMS launched the Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalizations among Nursing Facility Residents in 143 long-term care (LTC) facilities across seven states. According to a study published in the March 2017 issue of Health Affairs, the approach appears to have been effective.

A new sentinel event alert has been released by the Joint Commission, urging leaders in healthcare to develop an “effective safety culture” at their organizations to cut down on adverse events like delays in treatment and wrong-site surgery.

Outcomes reported by the patient can bring actionable data to a provider and save money in the long run. Collecting that data, however, requires technology that patients can easily access and use.

A wide-reaching Seattle Times probe into Providence Health’s Swedish Cherry Hill Hospital alleges administrators pushed a “high volume approach” on surgeons, lied to patients about which surgeons would perform their procedure and performed dangerous surgeries when less invasive alternatives were available.

Accelerating drug approvals and funding the cancer “moonshot” were the more widely-covered aspects of the 21st Century Cures Act signed into law last year. Yet it also contained a new path for safety-net hospitals to avoid readmissions penalties.

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report says physicians and hospitals failed to tell the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of safety issues related to power morcellators spreading undiagnosed cancer cells in women. Those devices aim to make tissue removal easier through small incisions and are most often used during hysterectomies or to remove benign uterine tumors.