Quality and Safety
No sooner had the American Hospital Association submitted its comments on the proposed rule for Stage 2 meaningful use than they came under fire for "spurious" arguments on patient access to online information.
San Francisco-based start-up Castlight Health, whose mission is to shed light on healthcare pricing, has raised $100 million in Series D funding. This new round of investment brings its total funding to $181 million.
The changes taking place in U.S. healthcare as a result of rapid healthcare IT adoption leave the nation's health IT chief Farzad Mostashari optimistic -- especially about improving quality, he told the audience at a meeting of the National Quality Forum Thursday, as he urged: "Keep our eyes on the prize."
Just in time to consider for comments on ONC's proposed rule on meaningful use Stage 2 (comment period ends May 7), John Loonsk, MD, makes a case for data transfer standards more functional than SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) called for in MU Stage 2 - Loonsk describes SMTP as a "dead end."
There are myriad ways to cut costs in hospitals, even while improving patient care.
The National Quality Forum (NQF) approved for endorsement several sets of quality measures in April, addressing areas such as perinatal and renal care and how resources are put to use in care delivery.
Caregivers who talk with the patient about their care before, during and after care tend to improve outcomes and avoid readmissions. Technology can help improve how it's done -- and documented.
Wendy Whittington, MD, chief medical officer at Anthelio Healthcare Solutions, supports the adoption of health IT. But she warns that certain oversights during the implementation process could have adverse affects on patients.
"One of the simulators is leaking." So reported an alarmed custodian at Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center, upon finding a supine and sheet-covered mannequin dripping fluid onto the floor.
Researchers at Stanford University have designed an interactive case-based online activity to help clinicians prevent and treat sepsis, a life-threatening infection that takes more than 200,000 lives each year.