Tag: Hospitals

Doctors’ smartphones and iPads may be distracting

Doctors’ smartphones and iPads may be distracting

A 2010 survey of 439 perfusionists, the medical technicians who operate heart-lung machines, found that more than 55 percent reported using their cell phones during procedures. Nearly 50 percent admitted texting, and 21 percent checked their e-mail.

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April 13, 2012 | By | Reply More
Hospitals scramble for affluent patients

Hospitals scramble for affluent patients

Amid the recession, hospitals have been aggressively establishing footholds in affluent areas outside their traditional market boundaries as they fight for the patients with the best insurance, according to a new study.

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April 9, 2012 | By | Reply More
New processes help hospitals spot—and stop—drug errors

New processes help hospitals spot—and stop—drug errors

Errors involving drugs are the most common type of medical errors, harming about 1.5 million people each year. A recent example shows how easily these errors can happen . . .

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April 3, 2012 | By | Reply More
Effort to pay hospitals based on quality didn’t cut death rates — study

Effort to pay hospitals based on quality didn’t cut death rates — study

Medicare’s largest effort to pay hospitals based on how they perform did not lead to fewer deaths, casting doubt on a central premise of the new health law’s effort to rework the financial incentives for hospitals with the aim of saving money while improving patient care.

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March 29, 2012 | By | Reply More
Health care changing whether reform law stands or falls

Health care changing whether reform law stands or falls

Even without the health-care reform law, the federal government is changing how it pays doctors and hospitals, from a system that rewards volume to one that rewards quality. . . . “I think if the health care law were repealed tomorrow, it would not change the direction of what is happening in the marketplace.”

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March 27, 2012 | By | 1 Reply More
Medical mistakes still too common — Viewpoint

Medical mistakes still too common — Viewpoint

Despite national efforts to improve patient safety, medical mistakes remain far to common. What can you do to protect yourself from medical errors?

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March 10, 2012 | By | Reply More
“eICUs” bring intensive care to remote Alaska hospitals

“eICUs” bring intensive care to remote Alaska hospitals

A nurse, a doctor and six computer monitors help raise the standards of care for critically ill patients in Anchorage and in rural hospitals.

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March 8, 2012 | By | Reply More
New book offers checklists to help hospital patients

New book offers checklists to help hospital patients

As anyone who has been a patient or a visitor at a hospital knows, they’re often confusing, chaotic places.

By the time you learn the routines and the rules, with any luck you’re recovered and on your way out the door.

Elizabeth Bailey’s father wasn’t that fortunate . . .

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March 6, 2012 | By | Reply More
Critics say hospitals use marketing to cherry pick best-paying patients

Critics say hospitals use marketing to cherry pick best-paying patients

Hospitals using their patients’ health and financial records to help pitch their most lucrative services, such as cancer, heart and orthopedic care and buying detailed information about local residents compiled by marketing firms — everything from age, income and marital status to shopping habits and whether they have children or pets at home.

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February 6, 2012 | By | Reply More
How to cut your risk of heart disease — Tips from the NIH

How to cut your risk of heart disease — Tips from the NIH

The bad news: Heart disease is the number one killer of both women and men in the U.S. The good news: there’s much you can do to prevent heart disease. Here’s how . . .

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February 5, 2012 | By | Reply More
Health care hiring remains strong

Health care hiring remains strong

The U.S. health care sector added more than 23,000 jobs last month, according to a new report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with hospitals hiring about 10,000 new employees.

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January 7, 2012 | By | Reply More
Hospital round trips more common for U.S. heart attack patients

Hospital round trips more common for U.S. heart attack patients

U.S. heart attack patients tend to be sent home sooner than other countries, but were more likely to be back within 30 days. Better post-hospital care may explain why other nations do better.

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January 5, 2012 | By | Reply More