Patient & Staff Safety
Breast Cancer Screenings Don't Ensure Better Outcomes
January 8, 2013 12:46 pm | News | CommentsEven though Medicare spends over $1 billion per year on breast cancer screenings such as a mammography, there is no evidence that higher spending benefits older women.
Most Do Not Meet Medicare Quality Reporting Requirements
January 8, 2013 12:34 pm | News | CommentsA new Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute study shows that fewer than one-in-five healthcare providers meet Medicare Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) requirements. Those that meet PQRS thresholds now receive a 0.5 percent Medicare bonus payment. In 2015, bonuses will be replaced by penalties for providers who do not meet PQRS requirements. As it stands, more than 80 percent of providers nationwide would face these penalties.
Specialization Improves Esophageal Cancer Surgery Results
January 8, 2013 12:21 pm | News | CommentsPatients operated on by surgeons with a high annual and total volume had 22 percent lower long-term mortality. Researchers also concluded that esophageal cancer surgery should be concentrated to fewer surgeons, giving them the opportunity to maintain a high annual volume for this major, complicated procedure.
Mom Nearly Dies; Twins' Amniotic Fluid Leaks Into Her Blood
January 8, 2013 9:18 am | by Susan Donaldson James | Articles | CommentsAngela Cottam was in the middle of heavy labor with a set of twins when she suddenly began choking and turned blue. She didn't know it at the time, but the amniotic fluid surrounding the babies in her womb had leaked into her blood system and was quickly killing her. Cottam's lungs collapsed and she nearly bled to death.
New Compound Overcomes MRSA In Mice
January 7, 2013 12:31 pm | News | CommentsResearchers have discovered a new compound that restores the health of mice infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an otherwise dangerous bacterial infection. The new compound targets an enzyme not found in human cells but is essential to bacterial survival.
Large Transfusions Add Risk For Heart Attack Patients With Anemia
January 4, 2013 1:19 pm | News | CommentsWhen heart attack patients present in the emergency department with some degree of anemia, or anemic patients have a heart attack, physicians have a tendency, but not much guidance, about whether to provide a blood transfusion.
Why Patients Lie To Their Doctors
January 2, 2013 4:21 pm | by NBC News | Videos | CommentsA survey shows more than half of Americans aren't totally truthful with their doctors, and physicians say even white lies may have consequences. Why does this continue to happen?
Racial Disparities Tied To Hospital Type
January 2, 2013 12:45 pm | News | CommentsWhen researchers from UCLA Medical Center investigated the link between racial disparities and appendicitis outcomes in children, they found that the type of hospital in which black, Hispanic and other minority patients receive care—community, children’s or county—affects their odds of developing a perforated appendix.
'Thousands' Of Errors Made By Surgeons
January 2, 2013 9:54 am | by Skeptical Scalpel | Blogs | CommentsI agree with those who say there are “never” events that are totally preventable and should never happen. But I want to set the record straight. Listen to me. Surgeons are not the cause of sponges being left in patients. I’ll explain.
Survival After Less-Invasive Abdominal Procedure Equal To Open Approach
December 21, 2012 11:58 am | News | CommentsDespite earlier signs that a less-invasive surgery is safer and better than "open" operations to repair potentially lethal abdominal aortic aneurysms, a study led by a Johns Hopkins professor shows survival rates after four years are similar for both procedures.
"Never" Events Occur 4,000 Times Every Year
December 21, 2012 11:42 am | News | CommentsAfter a cautious and rigorous analysis of national malpractice claims, Johns Hopkins patient safety researchers estimate that a surgeon in the United States leaves a foreign object such as a sponge or a towel inside a patient's body after an operation 39 times a week, performs the wrong procedure on a patient 20 times a week and operates on the wrong body site 20 times a week.
Hospitals Fined For Endangering Patients
December 21, 2012 11:27 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsState health officials fined 12 California hospitals $785,000 for mistakes that endangered patients on Thursday, including a doctor's improper use of a surgical device that investigators said resulted in a patient's death.
Respirator And Surgical Mask
December 21, 2012 10:32 am | by Ansell | Product Releases | CommentsAnsell's GAMMEX N95 respirator and surgical mask utilizes a hybrid technology that incorporates the comfort of a standard surgical mask with the protection of a respirator. It filters out 95% of airborne particles down to 0.1 micron in size.
Surgeons Still Make Preventable Mistakes
December 21, 2012 10:04 am | by Dr. Lauren Browne | Blogs | CommentsWithin the past 20 years, there were close to 10,000 reported instances when a foreign object was left in a patient, the wrong surgery was performed, or the surgery was performed on the wrong patient or wrong part of the body.
Purines Fend Off Surgery-Related Damage
December 19, 2012 11:30 am | News | CommentsResearchers determined that generating adenosine outside of cells can help protect organs from damage. And they saw that activating adenosine receptors on the lungs, the intestine, or the heart can help protect these organs. For patients who might face surgery with anesthesia, the findings are good news.
Telestroke Networks Benefit Patients, Save Hospitals Money
December 17, 2012 12:18 pm | News | CommentsTelestroke networks that enable the remote and rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke can improve the bottom line of patients and hospitals, researchers report.
Surgery Saves Santa's Holiday
December 17, 2012 11:57 am | by Chance Ryan | News | CommentsFor more than 24 years, Paul Crochet, 73, of Houma, LA, has played the role of Santa at Southland Mall, entertaining kids with his natural Claus-like features and jolly Cajun accent. But when Crochet sought relief from aortic stenosis, he learned his only option would be an unconventional trial surgery.
Aging Doctors Come Under Greater Scrutiny
December 17, 2012 9:22 am | by Sandra G. Boodman | Articles | CommentsStudies have found that approximately one-third of doctors don't even have a personal physician, who might be on the lookout for deteriorating hearing, vision or motor coordination, or the cognitive impairment that precedes dementia.
Improving Patient Data Security On Mobile Devices
December 14, 2012 1:27 pm | News | CommentsLaunched by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today, a new education initiative and set of online tools provide healthcare providers and organizations practical tips on ways to protect their patients’ protected health information when using mobile devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
New Kidney Cancer Procedure Utilizes Robotic Approach
December 14, 2012 1:12 pm | News | CommentsUrologists at Henry Ford Hospital have developed a new technique that could make minimally invasive robotic partial nephrectomy procedures the norm, rather than the exception for kidney cancer patients. The technique spares the kidney, eliminates long hospital stays and provides better outcomes by giving the surgeon more time to perform the procedure.
New Heart Procedure Promising, But More Evidence Needed
December 14, 2012 12:45 pm | News | CommentsA new heart valve procedure intended to treat patients with severe aortic stenosis and individuals who are at high risk for surgical complications or death is gaining traction in the U.S.
Surgical Pause Product
December 14, 2012 10:53 am | by Healthmark Industries | Healthmark Industries Company, Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsHealthmark Industries announces a new product to help remind healthcare care professionals to take a surgical pause before using surgical instruments in the OR. A “surgical pause” is the universal protocol for preventing wrong site, wrong procedure, and wrong person surgery.
Let Residents Participate In Surgery
December 14, 2012 9:49 am | by Dr. Bruce Campbell, M.D. | Blogs | CommentsKnowing that our system safely trains young surgeons is comforting. Someday in the not too distant future, the odds are that I will probably need surgery myself. It is great to know that the students and residents training today will be ready to safely help me when that day arrives.
Employees Share Of Insurance Premiums Up 74 Percent
December 12, 2012 12:35 pm | News | CommentsAverage premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance plans rose 62 percent between 2003 and 201. Workers are also paying more out-of-pocket, as their share of health insurance premiums rose by 74 percent on average and deductibles more than doubled, up 117 percent between 2003 and 2011.
Hospital Resumes Kidney Transplants Following Accidental Disposal
December 12, 2012 12:13 pm | by Mitch Stacy, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Ohio hospital where an operating nurse accidentally disposed of a viable kidney will resume live kidney transplants in the next few weeks, officials said. Live kidney transplants at the University of Toledo Medical Center had been voluntarily halted after the Aug. 10 incident.
