Quality and Safety

Transparency is a touchy subject in healthcare. It's one of the last market strongholds desperately clutching to its principles of secrecy, and it won't go down without a fight. But many experts say this stands as one of many reasons the industry continues to drag its feet in the innovation arena.

There are buzz phrases, and then there are buzz phrases. And if there's one phrase that has permeated the healthcare sector more thoroughly than all the others, it's probably "accountable care." But what exactly does it mean? Or, more to the point for healthcare providers, how do you know when you're actually providing it?

Several organized physician groups are beta testing URAC's new clinical integration accreditation program standards. The independent standards organization created the new program to serve as a road map for health providers to achieve clinical integration and accountable care. By earning URAC accreditation, providers will demonstrate they are delivering improved patient care and reducing costs.

Marilyn Tavenner's confirmation as official administrator of CMS immediately drew positive reactions from nearly every corner of the industry and government, as several healthcare stakeholders reacted to the 91-7 landslide Senate vote that took place late Wednesday. Tavenner is the first administrator in nine years to receive Senate confirmation.

Status quo doesn't sit well with the innovation team at Boston Children's Hospital. Being consistently ranked one of the nation's top hospitals is no easy task -- especially in the innovation arena. But Naomi Fried, the hospital's chief innovation officer, and her Innovation Acceleration Program dream team have risen to the challenge with the creation of four new mobile health apps.

An update to the Hospital Safety Score that assigns grades "A" through "F" to more than 2,500 hospitals in the United States shows they have made only incremental progress in addressing errors, accidents, injuries and infections that kill or hurt their patients. The Leapfrog Group, a hospital watchdog group, conducts the surveys.

EHRMagic-Ambulatory and EHRMagic-Inpatient, both developed by Santa Fe Springs, Calif.-based EHRMagic, are the first-ever EHRs to have their certifications revoked.

In health IT, it's a man's world. Although women account for more than 47 percent of the U.S. labor force, they hold a paltry 25 percent of senior health IT roles nationwide. Don't get used to this trend, however, say female industry leaders who are working to make the realm of information technology more accessible to women.

Members of a new workgroup focused on ways to improve patient safety and promote innovation in health IT, including mobile medical applications, have been selected by the Department of Health and Human Services and Federal Communications Commission. The workgroup will report to the Health IT Policy Committee which advises the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.

The electronic prescribing systems market is estimated to grow to $794 million, at a compound annual growth rate of 26 percent from 2012 to 2017, according to a new study by MarketsandMarkets, which analyzed the major market drivers, restraints and opportunities around the world.