The U.S. House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee has received statements on the consolidation of the healthcare industry and the effects of accountable care organizations (ACOs), including comments from the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC).

The Joint Commission has named 405 hospitals as front runners in care, particularly in achieving high quality of care through use of evidence-based guidelines. The providers all have been recognized as top achievers through the Commissions Top Performers on Key Quality Measures Program. Additionally, the Commission found that care improvement increased 14.8 percent over a nine-year span.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking comments on the agencys notice informing long-term care hospitals (LCTHs), that they need to begin reporting quality data in the future or face financial consequences.

While hospital CEOs work to provide unwavering care to patients, most agree that cuts to reimbursement and the ambiguity of future payment models as a result of healthcare reform will be the biggest challenge, according to a survey of top hospital CEOs conducted by Thomson Reuters.

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.