|
Click Here To Subscribe to Health Watch USA's
Newsletter
Feb. 2012 Newsletter
1) Health Watch USA Model Public Reporting
Legislation.
2) Approved and Planned Federal Public Reporting Infection Measures.
3) NHSN CLABSI Report Now on Hospital Compare.
4) Highly Resistant Bacteria in 37 States.
4) If a Cow Map Exists Why Not a MRSA or HAI Map.
5) Can Insurance Companies Survive ACOs
6) Do Bone Marrow Transplants Have a Role in Breast Cancer Treatment.
Jan. 2012 Newsletter - Issue 2
1) MedPAC estimates Mid Level Outpatient Visits
from Hospital Employed Doctors may be 80% Higher than those from independent
providers.
2) Organized Medicine asks for money saved from the decrease in the
OSC funds to fix the SRG.
3) 70% of Hospitals use a Full Employment Medical Staph Model &
Cardiology Doctors are Leaving Practice for Hospital Employment.
4) Mercy Hospital Report VAP (Ventilator Associated Pneumonia) rate of Zero.
5) Innovation Summit Conference.
6) Medicare Coordinated Care Value Purchasing has not saved money.
7) Publicly reported infection numbers may be flawed -- A report from
Colorado and California.
8) AMA states clarity needed as to when to report Adverse Events.
Jan. 2012 Newsletter
1. OIG Report -- Hospitals Not Capturing Errors.
2. Dr. Jarvis Presentation on Surveillance Cultures.
3. AHRQ Report -- No Improvement in HosAvustuenpital Safety Indicators
Over a 10 Year Period.
4. Small Doctor Practices are Closing and Hospital Employment is
Increasing.
5. Avistin Effectiveness in Ovarian Cancer is Questioned.
6. The use of PSA testing for Prostate Cancer is Questioned.
7. California Releases Hospital Acquired Infection Report.
8. Doctor's Medicare Claims Data is Released to Rate Doctors.
9. MRSA Colonization Rate in Children Reported to be almost 3%.
Dec. 2011 Newsletter - Issue 2
1. Commonwealth Fund's Report on Success
Strategies for CLABSI.
2. Risk Adjustment Does Not Explain Results Between Facilities.
3. Public Reporting in PA is Associated With Lower Hospital Mortality.
4. Most Reportable HAI are Preventable.
5. Vancomycin Prophylaxis -- May Not Always Be Good.
6. Private Rooms Found to Have a Lower Infection Rate.
7. Rates of MRSA Bacteremia May be Too Low to Be Used as A Tool To
Monitor Improvement.
8. Medical Over Usage, in the Treatment of Pain and in psychotropic
Drugs Used in Nursing Homes & Foster Care
Dec. 2011 Newsletter
1. Tennessee Hospitals Reduce Bloodstream
Infections.
2. Majority of Adverse Events That Were Reported by Patients Had Not
Been Reported By Staff.
3. Infection Rates Drop in Pennsylvania.
4. The Shield of PSOs is Under Attack.
5. Medical Expenses Push 10 Million More Into Poverty.
6. AHRQ Web Page on Full Disclosure.
Nov. 2011 Newsletter
1. The Leapfrog Group expresses concern about
Accountable Care Organizations (ACO)
2. The Commonwealth Fund Gives the United States Low Marks.
3. CMS Issues Final Update on Measures for HACs
4. 70% of Hospitals are Hiring More Physicians.
5. CMS States that Hospital Acquired Conditions on "Hospital Compare"
Website.
6. CDC States That Colonization Does Not Affect the Definition of a
Healthcare Associated Infection.
7. A Policy of Full Disclosure Lowers Stanford's Malpractice Premiums.
8. State of Maine MRSA Surveillance Data on Nursing Home Residents
Admitted to Hospitals.
9. Mich. Keystone Program Finds the Prevention of CLABSI and VAP is
Cost Effective.
Oct. 2011 Newsletter
1. US Ranks Last Among Industrialized Nations in
Preventable Healthcare Deaths
2. Metal on Metal Hip Prostheses are Breaking Down
3. Health Insurance Cost to Increase 8 to 9%
4. Avoidable Readmissions Cost CMS More than 17 Billion Each Year.
5. Nurses in England Complain of Under Staffing in 75% of Patients>
6. State of Maine MRSA Hospital Surveillance Data on High Risk
Patients.
Sep. 2011 - Newsletter - Issue 2
1. Consumer Advocates Call for Transparency in
Hospital Accreditation Process
2. Alcohol Wipes may not be Effective in Controlling C. Diff and
Norovirus
3. Checklists Save lives and Money
4. Tennessee Reports Decrease in CLBSI Associated with Public
Reporting
5. OIG Reports Hospitals are Not Effective in Capturing Adverse Events
6. CDDEP finds CA-MRSA growing in percentage along with the total
number of MRSA.
7. The Number of US Uninsured Grows to 49.9
Million
Sep. 2011 - Newsletter
1. HW USA and over 50 Consumer and Consumer
Organizations Call For Repeal of the Federal Law Prohibiting the Release of
Hospital Accreditation Surveys.
2. Poor Reporting in Patient Safety Organizations
3. MRSA Skin Infections on the Rise
4. C. Difficile Infections are More Common in the Elderly.
5. 70% of Central Line Infections Occur Within the Maintenance Period.
4. Vertical and Horizontal Healthcare Integration May be Causing an
Increase in CMS and Healthcare Costs
6. US Infant Mortality Rate is Higher Than 40 Other Countries
Aug. 2011 - Newsletter
1. Comment on MRSA Surveillance Cultures
Published in JACS
2. Healthcare Reform - Costing More and Covering Less People
3. Patient Toll of Hospital Acquired Infections
4. IOM rules Under Attack
5. Physician Shortage Projected to be as Much as 25%.
6. Medicare Proposes Cutting Physician Fess by 29.5% and Some Imaging
Fees by 50%.
July 2011 - Newsletter Issue 2
1. Hospitals Run by Doctors Have 25% Better
Quality
2. Funding for Antibiotic Resistance is Low
3. Angioplasties Reported to be Overused
4. Wrong Site Surgery Takes Place 40 times a Week
5. CDC Published Outpatient Infection Prevention Guidelines
6. Chantix may Increase Cardiovascular Risk
7. Full Disclosure Lowers Malpractice Costs
8. Medicare's Policy of Non-Payment of Healthcare Acquired Conditions.
July 2011 - Newsletter
1. HW USA Gives Testimony on HAI to the Kentucky
Joint VMAPP Committee
2. For Profit Medicaid Managed Care Reported to have Higher Costs and
Lower Quality
3. Kentucky Ranked Worse than Average on AHRQ State Healthcare
Snapshots (and is getting worse)
4. AHA Reported to State CMS Lacks Authority to Enforce ACO Anti-Trust
Actions
5. Disclosure of Medical Errors Lowers Lawsuits
6. Illinois Appellate Court Finds Facility MRSA Rates are Discoverable
7. 5% of All Patients Treated in a Boston Hospital ER are MRSA Culture
Positive
8. Patient Reporting of Adverse Events is 70% Reliable
9. Medicare Not Financially Sound, Trust Fund Exhausted in 2024
10. One in Three Employers May Drop Health Insurance
11. Medical Studies May be "Spun" Up to 50% of the Time
12. Medicare Claims Data Shows CT Scan Over Usage
13, CMS Non-Payment of Healthcare Acquired Conditions Policy Saved
18.8 Million Dollars form Oct. 2008 to Sept. 2009.
June 2011 - Newsletter
1. Healthcare Integration - Will the
Physician Loss his Voice
2. Healthcare Costs Continue Brisk Growth
3. Physicians Writing Cardiovascular Guidelines Have Conflict
of interest.
4. Vermont Passes Universal Healthcare & Considers No-Fault
Malpractice.
5. Lower Nursing Staffing Levels are Associated with Higher
Rates of Citations.
6. Only 15 KY Hospitals Have Signed on to Partnership for
Patients.
May 2011 - Newsletter
1. HW USA and 19 other Organizations
Submit Comment for ACO.
2. Norton Healthcare System receives NQF Award for
Transparency
3. Maternal Mortality on the Rise
4. Vermont Legislature Passes Healthcare Reform with
Consideration of a No-Fault Malpractice System.
5. Most Uninsured are Unable to Pay for Hospital Bills.
April 2011 - Newsletter Issue 2
1. CMS Posts Data on Hospital Acquired
Condition
2. AHRQ Lists Hospitals Participating in CUSP
3. Commonwealth Fund & WhyNotTheBest Website
4. 90% of Hospital Errors Not Identified
5. VA National MRSA Data Published in the NEJM
6. RWJ study - Lower Nurse Staffing higher Infection Rates
7. Senator Grassley - Submits Bill to Post Physician Billing
Data on the Web
8. 72% Feel Healthcare Needs to be Overhauled
9. MedPac Recommends Medicare Precertification for CT and MRI
Scans
10. Blue Cross Blue Shield Anti-Trust Investigation
April 2011 - Newsletter
1) CMS Responds to HW USA Inquiry
Regarding Survey Visits
2) Superbug with a 50% Mortality Rate
3) Reductions in Nursing Staff Increases Patient Mortality
4) Nevada Considers Public Disclosure of Harm
5) Gastric Banding May Cause More Complications Than Wight
Loss
6) Physician Sunshine Act
7) How Much Does Overutilization Cost Medicare ?
8) Arizona to Defund Medicaid
Mar 2011 - Newsletter Issue 2
1) Cost of Prevent Increases from $10 to
$1500
2) AHRQ - Study Confirms the Importance of Nursing
3) Alcohol Wipes Harbor Bacillus cereus
4) NQF Expands Medical Device Events
5) Dialysis Patients are High Risk for CLBSI
6) Dartmouth Atlas on Patient Choices
Mar 2011 - Newsletter
1) Update on HB 291 and SB 72 on
Healthcare Acquired Infections
2) MRSA cases on the rise in Illinois
3) State of Maine Issues its MRSA Prevalence Report
4) Keystone Project reduced Ventilator Associated Pneumonia by
70%
5) Bankruptcy is linked to healthcare costs
6) Hospital billing data may not be accurate in identifying
infections.
Feb 2011 - Newsletter
1) House Bill 291 Filed - Public Reporting of
Healthcare Acquired Infections.
2) Op-Ed Lexington Herald Leader on HAI, Op-Ed Courier Journal on
Revising Heathcare Reform.
3) Survey of Physician Disclosure of Medical Errors.
4) Surgical Checklists Reduces Malpractice Claims.
5) Higher Spending Hospitals have a Lower Patient Mortality.
6) Wall Street Journal Sues to Open Physician Medicare Billing
Records.
Jan 2011 - Newsletter
1) Senate Bill 72 Filed - Public
Reporting of Healthcare Acquired Infections
2) KY Top Four State for MRSA Resistance ( > 60% of Staph is
MRSA )
3) Cost of Healthcare Errors Calculator Posted by GE
4) JACS - The more days you wait for surgery in a hospital the
greater the chance for a hospital acquired infection.
5) Mass. finds the larger the hospital system the higher the
cost.
6) Joint Commission finds over 2/3 of hospital events
associated with hospital leadership problems.
7) On 8000 individuals have signed up for the insurance
exchanges.
8) Medicare and Medicaid Going Broke - By 2010 31% of Federal
Budget.
Dec 2010 - Newsletter Issue 2
1) Major Ky Hospitals Support Public
Reporting of HAI
2) KY Top Four States for MRSA Resistance ( > 60% of Staph is
MRSA )
3) Keystone Project Zero Central Line Catheter Infections for
18 Months
4) California Hospitals - Under Reporting HAIs???
5) Surgical Checklists Reduce Medical Errors.
6) CMS Holds Hospital Boards Responsible for Healthcare
Quality.
7) Gag Clauses Placed in Contracts by Device Manufactures.
Dec 2010 - Newsletter
1) OIG Report - One in Seven Patient
Suffer Medical Harm.
2) CMS Proposes to Self-Reporting for Survey Visits.
3) HW USA Published Policy on Surveillance Cultures for MRSA.
4) 2010 Conference Presentations and PowerPoints are Online.
Nov 2010 - Newsletter
1) CDC Director -- Evidence
Indicates HAIs should be rare unacceptable events
2) White Paper (CDC, SHEA, APIC, IDSA) -- The four pillars for
control of HAIs.
3) Kentucky Joint Committee on Health and Welfare --
Presentation on HAIs.
4) Medicaid patients have higher ER utilization rates.
5) Over utilization and safety of CT Scanners.
6) New Super Resistant Bugs.
7) The doctor shortage and the role of nurses.
8) Drug Companies making payments to doctors and nurses
public.
Oct. 2010 - Newsletter
1) HW USA Joins the NQF and
submits a new Serious Reportable Event.
2) HW USA attends summit on "Progress Toward Eliminating
Healthcare Associated Infections"
3) Rosemary Gibson speaks at HW USA Oct Meeting
4) Joint Commission Annual Report on Quality and Safety
5) New Mutli-Drug Resistant Organism has Appeared.
6) Record Number of Americans are Uninsured.
Sept. 2010 - Newsletter
1) New Website on Never Events
2) Health Watch USA in the Washington Post
3) Joint Commission Stresses the Importance of Public Pressure
in Increasing Healthcare Quality.
4) New Data on the Cost of Healthcare Acquired Infections from
ARHQ
5) One in Four Patients are Rehospitalized for The Same
Condition.
6) Medicare May Have Significant Budgetary Shortfalls
7) Private Insurance Premiums Are Increasing More Than
Expected.
Aug. 2010 - Newsletter Issue 2
1) Report form the 9th Annual Quality
Colloquium - Harvard University
2) C. Difficile Infections - Washington Post
3) MSRA Rates May Be Improving - JAMA
3) Malpractice Costs and Error Disclosure - Annals of Internal
Medicine
4) Google Technology Identifying Sanctioned Doctors
Aug. 2010 - Newsletter
1) Medicare Viability Extended to 2029
2) Home MRSA Testing Available in England
3) New Articles on MRSA Surveillance
4) General Surgeon Shortage
5) CMS Value Purchasing in the RHQDAPU Initiative Now Includes
HACs
July 2010 - Newsletter
1) US Last in Healthcare Rankings -
Commonwealth Fund
2) US Maternal Mortality Rate is On The Rise
3) CMS Considers New Reportable HAI (SSI & CLABSI)
4) Poor Infection Control in Surgery Centers
5) MRSA Develops More Resistance
6) CDC Advocates Public Reporting of HAI
7) State Plans for HAI Are On the Web
8) Transparency Reduces Malpractice Costs
June 2010 - Newsletter
1) VA Hospital's National MRSA Study
Results.
2) AHA - Advancing Excellence in Patient Care.
3) APIC Survey on Hospital Control of C. Diff.
4) Public Reporting of HAI in Illinois is Making a Difference.
May 2010 - Newsletter
1) National Academy for State Health Policy
reports on States Adopting Medicare Regulations for their Medicaid
programs.
2) ARHQ - Hospital Acquired Infections - Getting Worse ??
3) Importance of Nursing Staffing and Good Patient Outcomes -
The California Experience with Nurse to Patient Ratios - Linda
Aiken, RN PhD
4) Did the FDA with held safety data on imaging studies??
5) Leapfrog Group Releases 2009 Hospital Survey.
Apr. 2010 - Newsletter
1) Healthcare Reform - Insurance Companies &
Provider Integrati0n
2) Health grades 2010 - Patient Safety Study
3) GAO Report 93% of adverse events did not generate reports in
surveyed hospitals.
4) MRSA Colonization rates of 4% to 6%, C. Diff now leads
MRSA, Public reporting of hospital acquired infections is
producing results in Pennsylvania.
Mar. 2010 - Newsletter
1) Healthcare Reform - The Final Push
2) Healthcare Acquired Infections - Update
3) How states Spent Their HAI Grant
4) Hospital Acquired Conditions, Poor State of Voluntary
Reporting - OIG
5) High Insurance Premiums
6) High Tech, High Cost, Low Payoff
7) Concern over Radiation Safety
Feb. 2010 - Newsletter
1) CDC Supports Public Reporting of
Healthcare Acquired Infections
2) US Government Provides Health Insurance for Over 50% of the
Population
3) Patient Safety Organizations are Slow to Come On-Line
4) Canadian Premier Goes to USA For Heart Surgery
Jan. 2010 - Newsletter Issue 2
1) Hospital Acquired Infections - Recent Articles of Interest and
New Support for Universal Screening of MRSA
2) Mayo Clinic Abandoning Medicare.
3) Expanded National Practitioner's Databank.
4) CT Scans and Risk of Causing Cancer.
Jan. 2010- Newsletter
1) Is the US falling behind the world in MRSA prevention??
2) Washington, Ohio and Tennessee are posting facility infection
rates online.
3) Physician employment by hospitals is increasing the cost
charged to patients.
4) High Value hospitals may get paid more.
5) 23% of US citizens report being uninsured for at least part of
the year.
Dec. 2009 - Newsletter
1) MRSA USA 600 - A superior Strain with five times the death rate
2) Public and government pressure reduce HAI in Massachusetts
3) Community associated MRSA on the rise in hospitals.
4) CAUTI - CDC issues prevention guidelines.
5) New GAO report gives poor rankings to 10 Kentucky nursing
homes.
6) Health insurance rates double since 2000.
Nov. 2009 - Newsletter Issue 2
1) Transparency and Never Events in the House and Senate
Healthcare Reform Bills.
2) Central Line Associated Infections reduced by over 80%.
3) Colorado Hospital Association's Principles on Never Events.
4. The High Infant Mortality Rate in The USA.
5) The Shortage of US Surgeons.
6) The Joint Commission has a Competitor.
7) MRSA Carriers Have a Higher Post-op Infection Rate.
8) C. Diff rates lowered at a Lancaster, PA Hospital.
9) MRSA Getting Deadlier.
10) 45,000 Deaths Linked to a Lack of Health Insurance.
Nov. 2009 - Newsletter
1) The High Cost of Healthcare Waste - Thomson Reuters.
2) Healthcare Performance Report - Commonwealth Fund -- KY 45th.
3) Underreporting of Adverse Events - The Medical Data Bank and
the Joint Commission.
4) Healthcare Acquired Infections - NM MRSA Projects shows
positive results.
Oct. 2009 - Newsletter Issue 2
1) Pay for performance (HQID) has improved quality measures by
18.6%.
2) Dartmouth Atlas reports that Medicare utilization and costs
vary widely between different US Regions.
3) Children covered by Medicaid may have reduced access to
healthcare.
4) Medical tourism is thriving because of the high cost of US
Healthcare.
5) A review of the three proposed healthcare reform packages
regarding never events and the public reporting of healthcare acquired
infections.
Oct. 2009 - Newsletter
1) PHC4 Report 38% of hospital readmissions from HAI or
complications.
2) Kaiser Foundation - 42% feel they are better off if healthcare
reform passes.
3) NEJM large variance in what is spent on healthcare in different
US Regions.
4) By 2020 Family Health Insurance Coverage is projected to cost
$23,842.
Sept. 2009 - Newsletter
1) CDC Reports New Estimates on the Cost of Healthcare Acquired
Infections
2) NEJM Reports the Majority of Physicians Support Either a Public
Option or Single Payer System
3) AP Reports 30% of Americans have a form of Government
Insurance.
4) President Obama Statement on Transparency and "Competitive
Pressure".
Aug. 2009 - Newsletter
1) US House Healthcare Reform Bill HR 3200
addresses Healthcare Acquired Infections and Medicaid Non-Payment of
Never Events.
2) Courier Journal Chief Editorial Editor calls for KY Legislature
to address public reporting of HAI.
3) Robert Wood Johnson Study finds high rate of nurse turnover.
4) AHRQ reports on the high cost of health insurance and that 15%
of Kentuckians are uninsured.
5) BBC reports wait times in the UK Healthcare System may be
longer than once thought.
Referenced Material
a) HB 3200 S1751-Medicaid Non-Payment of
Never Events.
b) HB 3200 S1461 -Public Reporting of
HAI
c) KY Healthcare Status - 2008
July 2009 - Newsletter Issue 2
1) Public Reporting of Healthcare Acquired Infections is Indorsed
by Major Medical Organizations
2) American College of Surgeons report Higher Than Expected Post
Op Infections.
3) 30 States Now Implementing Public Reporting of Healthcare
Acquired Infections.
4) KHA Quality Transparency of Risk Adjusted Hospital Mortality
Rates.
5) The uninsured are responsible for Nearly 20% of ER visits.
6) United Kingdom healthcare system has been reported to have
higher cancer mortality rates.
July 2009 - Newsletter
1) USA Today Hospital Mortality and Readmission Tool
2) Hospital Acquired Infections - CDC State Template, CJ News
Article, SHEA recommendations.
3) Tobacco - Free Radicals & Long-term Effects of Secondhand Smoke
4) Wait times in UK and Canada, Problems with For-Profit Medicine.
June 2009 - Newsletter
1)
Rand Corporation Categorizes Healthcare Reform Efforts
2) Health Insurance Policies Costing Doctors Billions to Comply
With
3) Up to 40% of Angioplasties Unnecessary???
4) Healthcare Acquire Infections ( MRSA and C. Dif ) Increasing
Faster Than Expected
May 2009 - Newsletter
1) Patient Safety Measures Have Worsened
2) Reduction in Hospitalizations Touted as Way to Save the
Healthcare Dollar
3) Office of Health Reform Personnel Appointed
4) Healthcare Acquire Infections
4) Rural Healthcare Needs
6) The Nursing Shortage
Apr. 2009 - Newsletter Issue 2
1) Leap Frog 2008 Hospital Survey Released
2) Hospital Acquired Infections - CU Launches New Website
3) Drug Company Gifts to Doctors
4) ACS Statement on Medical Tourism
5) Hospital Readmissions are Common for Medicare
Apr. 2009 - Newsletter
1) Hospital Acquired Infections.
-- GAO Report on How Well is the CDC doing.
-- CDC Report on the Direct Medical Costs of HAI
-- New Money Available to States
2) Gram Negative Multiple Drug Resistant Bacteria
3) Electronic Medical Records Have Serious Problems
4) Shortage of Doctors
5) Massachusetts Health Care Plan
6) Hospitals to Disclose to Patients if they are Physician Owned.
Mar. 2009 - Newsletter
1) Call for Presentations & Exhibitors
2) Healthcare Acquired Infections and Mandatory Public Reporting
3) Non-Payment of Never Events
4) White House's Health Care Reform Website
5) Coronary Artery Stenting - New Indications
6) Ear Stapling
Feb. 2009 - Newsletter
1) Call for Presentations
2) Healthcare Acquired Infections and Mandatory Public Reporting.
KY State Cost Estimates.
3) Update on US Health Care Spending
4) AHRQ reports differences between Medicare Advantage and Medicare
Fee-for-Service Plans
5) Cost of Medical Malpractice
6) Tobacco and Smoking Update
Jan. 2009 - Newsletter
1) Widening Acceptance of the 28 NQF
"Never Events".
2) Revenue From Taxes May Also Improve Health.
3) Recent Trends in Drug Usage, Abuse and Over Dosage.
4) The 2009 Conference on Healthcare Transparency and Patient
Advocacy - Date set Nov 13th, 2009.
Dec. 2008 - Newsletter
1) Kentucky's 5th
District has the lowest life expectancy in the United States
2) GAO report on Medicare Advantage Organizations
3) Prophylactic Antibiotics in Surgery
4) Update on the Kentucky Certificate of Need
Nov. 2008 - Newsletter
1) GAO report on Public Reporting of Health
Care Acquired Infections,
2) Congress revokes "Unique Deeming Authority" of the Joint
Commission.
Sep. 2008 - Newsletter
1) Comments on the Joint Commission,
2) KMA proposed Legislation to assure doctors can discuss quality and
cost of health care with their patients.
See "Health Watch USA in the News Section
See
"What's New" Section Archive
The picture on the right is a photomicrograph of
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA).
|
