The Bottom Line? Tweets Can Be Sweet
At one time, Twitter was considered by many hospitals to be a strange tool that offered little, if any, benefit. After all, how much can you say in 140 characters? Today, many consider it an essential marketing tool, according HealthLeaders…
Awakened from a coma: A case report
A research team out of the University of Munich is reporting they were able to awaken an 82-year-old woman who had been in a persistent vegetative state for seven months after suffering a stroke nine years prior. After written informed…
Study: Clinical trial data aren’t measuring up
A recent study of the ClinicalTrials.gov database shows that researchers and trials are coming up short. The ClinicalTrials.gov database was created in 1997, and researchers were required to register with the database beginning in 2004. But in the ensuing years,…
Readmissions redux: Something that might actually work
For a change, here’s some good news on the readmissions front: A brand-new study from Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology presents solid evidence that reducing hospital-acquired infections can reduce readmission rates as well. The study (which you can read in…
Friend or Foe? The Answer to that Question Might Be Shifting
The times, they are a changin’. That facility that used to be your competitor? You might be able to find common ground now. “Hospitals need to prepare for shifts in the health delivery system, including more collaboration between providers,” said…
Ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous access reduces misses
At the recent American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) 2012 Annual Convention, a study was presented that evaluated the monthly rate of central venous catheter (CVC) placement in high- and low-acuity patients from 2006 to 2010. The research team,…
Patient safety the focus of CMS proposal
Get ready – CMS has proposed more rules to take effect for fiscal year 2013. The new rule would give general acute hospitals a 2.3% hike in Medicare payouts – but not without conditions, of course. The increase is a…
Should healthcare be a popularity contest?
It’s not that hospitals were ever indifferent to patient satisfaction, but let’s be honest: Few things really change in healthcare until financial incentives change. And they’re about to. In October, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Hospital Value-based Purchasing…
`We Can and Must Do Better in Order to Save Lives Now’
It’s April, and the rebirth of the earth reminds us that its National Donate Life Month. Many of you and your associations already are working with Donate Life America and have signed up for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s…
Are geriatric ERs necessary to improve the care of seniors?
As a journalist, I’ve always found it’s good to be cautious of trend pieces. Too often, they’re based on only a couple of data points, or the barest of anecdotal evidence, or the vivid imagination of a writer hard up…