RWJF News Digest - Quality/Equality

New Way to Pay Doctors

webmail@rwjf.org — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Efforts to change how Americans pay for health care are gathering momentum on a national scale as UnitedHealth Group Inc., the largest U.S. health insurer, becomes the latest carrier to say it is overhauling its fees for medical providers.
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What Doctors Are Telling Us Even When They’re Not Talking

webmail@rwjf.org — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

I recently read through a study published in The Journal of General Internal Medicine on the different ways that African-American and white doctors communicate nonverbally with older patients, and I was reminded of a former colleague, a specialist in brain tumors who stood out from the rest of us young doctors for two reasons.

Study: Some Physicians Not Always Honest With Patients

webmail@rwjf.org — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Doctors report that they’re not always completely honest with patients, especially when it comes to disclosing a medical mistake, or discussing a difficult prognosis, according to a new survey.

Race and Mental Illness: Do African Americans Suffer More Schizophrenia or is It Bias?

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Diagnosed with mental illness, Nathaniel Ayers, later portrayed by Jamie Foxx in the movie "The Soloist," became an accomplished musician.

Many Doctors Don’t Follow Ovarian-Cancer Screening Guidelines

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

The government estimates that more than 15,000 women died last year from ovarian cancer.

Why Do Cardiologists Often Pass Up Safe, Low-Tech Treatments for Chest Pain?

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Can American doctors say “No” to an aggressive and high-tech treatment they’re used to providing even when it turns out a less heroic and cheaper one works just as well?

New Inner-City Health Center Opens in Boston

webmail@rwjf.org — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Bob Thompson learned he had prostate cancer after routine screening at the Whittier Street Health Center, a community-based facility that has long served serving thousands of residents of the inner-city Roxbury neighborhood.

Advice for the Ill, and Points for the Doctors

webmail@rwjf.org — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Every sphere of life, it seems, can be turned into a game — including the way physicians offer medical advice and build a public reputation.

Digital Doctoring

webmail@rwjf.org — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Among the most common reasons why people come to an emergency room are bouts of heart failure or pneumonia.
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Study: Hospitals Overpay for Devices

webmail@rwjf.org — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Some hospitals pay thousands of dollars more than others for big-ticket medical devices such as defibrillators and hip replacements, and a portion of the higher costs could be passed on to the federal Medicare program, a new government report says.
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The Doctor Can Listen To You Now

webmail@rwjf.org — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Did you hear the one about the patient who tackled his high blood pressure because of a friend's remark that stuck with him? Or the doctor who finally cracked an elusive diagnosis after letting his patient talk longer?
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Book Offers 10 Checklists for Hospital Patients

webmail@rwjf.org — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Elizabeth Bailey learned what could go wrong in a hospital the hard way: by watching her elderly father endure a long in-patient nightmare.

A Computer Beats A Pen For Getting Prescriptions Right

webmail@rwjf.org — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Drug errors inside hospitals remain a big problem.

When Doctors Ditch Pens, Medical Errors Drop

webmail@rwjf.org — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

There’s a lot of interest in health care right now in digitizing doctors’ decision-making, using computer databases to assist in diagnoses and treatments (Exhibit A: Wellpoint’s pilot project using Dr. Watson, the Jeopardy-winning super-computer, to assist doctors in the exam room).

Doctor Exposes the Dangers of Overtreatment

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The woman walked quietly into the busy emergency room at Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta's safety net hospital for the poor and uninsured.

Employers Need Healthcare Price Transparency

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

What if I told you there was a cost-effective way to help businesses and employees lower their health care costs without sacrificing quality of care?

Cost-Saving Plan to Unify Military Medical Services on Hold

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

An idea to unify the medical operations of the Army, Navy and Air Force that researchers say could save a half-billion dollars a year has been shelved at a time when the military is trying to cut nearly half a trillion dollars from its budget.

Informed Patient: Taking Quality of Life into Account in Health Decisions

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Quality-of-life questions are becoming increasingly important in medical care, especially when it comes to helping patients make decisions about treatments, today’s Informed Patient column reports.

Breast Cancer Surgery Rules Are Called Unclear Saint Mary's Health Care

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Nearly half of women who had lumpectomies for breast cancer had second operations they may not have needed because surgeons have been unable to agree on guidelines for the most common operation for breast cancer, a new study finds.

Many Tests, Treatments Not Necessary

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Many patients would be surprised to realize how little of the medicine they receive is actually backed by evidence, says Otis Brawley, author of How We Do Harm: A Doctor Breaks Ranks About Being Sick in America.

Searching for Side Effects

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

You're taking a new medication and have dry mouth and feel dizzy.

Doctors Track Patients' Mood, Social Life to Manage Illness

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

When Amy Messier was preparing to undergo back surgery, doctors asked her to fill out a survey with an unusual question: "Have you felt so down in the dumps that nothing could cheer you up?"
Doctors Track Patients' Mood, Social Life to Manage Illness
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Dream Of A Medical ‘Price List’ Dies In Florida Legislature

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Imagine if finding out the cost of a particular treatment or procedure at a doctors’ office was as easy as locating the prices of entrees at a restaurant

Ear Doctors Performing Face-Lifts? It Happens

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

After moving from New York to Los Angeles in 2010 to take a job with a financial services firm, Joan, now 59, believed she needed to freshen her look.

Lessons From ZocDoc, a Health Tech Start-Up That Works

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

ZocDoc, an oddly named Web service for scheduling appointments with doctors, started in New York in 2007 and has been growing at a torrid pace.

How Safe Are Our Hospitals?

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ website, Hospital Compare, began reporting patient safety ratings for thousands of the nation’s hospitals, including those in the Washington area, in October 2011.

Doctor, Did You Check Your Checklist?

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

When Frances Barnes had a stroke in August 2008, she was taken by ambulance to Howard University Hospital.

Entrepreneurs Try to Fill Gap in Online Medical Help

webmail@rwjf.org — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Go online and it’s easy to compare just about anything according to cost, value or performance. But health plans? Doctors? Prescriptions drugs? Not so much.

Some Doctors Try to Squelch Online Reviews

webmail@rwjf.org — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Fuming about a billing dispute with his dentist, Robert Allen Lee posted his complaints on two consumer review Web sites, triggering a legal battle over a technique designed to snuff out negative online commentary.

Insurer WellPoint to Revamp Primary Care Pay

webmail@rwjf.org — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Health insurer WellPoint Inc. plans to improve primary care doctor payments and start reimbursing physicians for care management it doesn't currently cover as a way boost treatment and save money.

Report: Much Work Still Needed to Achieve Widespread Use of Computerized Patient Records

webmail@rwjf.org — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

America may be a technology-driven nation, but the health care system’s conversion from paper to computerized records needs lots of work to get the bugs out, according to experts who spent months studying the issue.

Report Outlines Challenges for Oral Health

webmail@rwjf.org — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

A new report on dental care calls for improving quality through better use of electronic health data, quality measures, payment incentives and expanded use of non-dental professionals to deliver care.

New Study Points to Deep Differences in Quality of Health in Memphis

webmail@rwjf.org — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The health of individual Memphians is influenced by race, ethnicity and language, according to a new study from the Healthy Memphis Common Table.

Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Aims to Cut Health-Care Costs

webmail@rwjf.org — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Obama administration touts it as a key solution to the nation’s runaway health-care spending: a new national center set up by the 2010 health-care law to test and implement groundbreaking ways to cut costs while improving patient care.

Caregivers Improve Care, Lower Costs

webmail@rwjf.org — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Family members who routinely accompany older adults to physicians' offices help improve care, U.S. researchers found.

Shortage of Research on When There’s Too Much Health Care

webmail@rwjf.org — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

There’s little doubt that the U.S. wastes a lot of money on unnecessary health care.

CDC: Diabetes Amputations Falling Dramatically

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Foot and leg amputations were once a fairly common fate for diabetics, but new government research shows a dramatic decline in limbs lost to the disease, probably due to better treatments.

Why are we Seeing so Many Specialists?

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Referrals to medical specialists have more than doubled in the past decade, according to research published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

For Healthier Moms and Babies, X-Out Repeat C-Sections

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Preliminary figures from the Centers for Disease control include a promising bit of news for women's health: for the first time in a decade, the rate of cesarean section births dropped.

Too Many Tests? Routine Checks Getting Second Look

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Recent headlines offered a fresh example of how the health care system subjects people to too many medical tests — this time research showing millions of older women don't need their bones checked for osteoporosis nearly so often.

Can Accountable-Care Organizations Improve Health Care While Reducing Costs?

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

It's often said that the main method of paying health-care providers—with a fee for each service—results in increased and wasteful spending.
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Is U.S. Health Spending Finally Under Control?

webmail@rwjf.org — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

“Growth in U.S. health spending remains slow in 2010” was the headline of a news release on Jan. 9 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, part of the Department of Health and Human Services.

In Health Care, Determining What’s Unnecessary

webmail@rwjf.org — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

It’s an oft-repeated health-care statistic, and one that’s easy to get frustrated about: As much as one-third of health-care costs are wasteful, spent on unnecessary treatments that do not improve Americans’ health.

Health Care Is Next Frontier for Big Data

webmail@rwjf.org — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Big Data — the ability to collect, process and interpret massive amounts of information — is one of today’s most important technological drivers.

PCORI: Funny Acronym, Serious Work

webmail@rwjf.org — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

This afternoon, in a hotel ballroom in Northern Florida, two dozen health policy wonks are quietly embarking on a momentous task: Determining what medical treatments are the most effective.

Informed Patient: Diagnostic Errors Highlight Need for Second Opinions

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

For patients diagnosed with cancer and other serious diseases, a second opinion can make the difference between getting the right and the wrong care, today's Informed Patient column reports.

HHS Rewards Use of Technology to Boost Health

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Obama administration on Tuesday announced a "Healthy New Year Video Challenge" that rewards contestants who create videos showing how they'll use health information technology to achieve a New Year's resolution.

In Maryland, a Prescription for Better Health Care

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Maryland is near the top of the national rankings in median household income, but the state's great wealth does not equal good health for everyone.

Retail Labs Give Patients Information, But Needle Doctors

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

You could call Michael Brooks a supplement junkie.

Peeking in on Your Doctor's Notes

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

If you saw that your doctor had written "SOB" in the notes he took during your latest office visit, you might be offended and wonder what you'd done to give him such a negative impression.

What if the Doctor Is Wrong?

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

When a CT scan showed multiple tumors in Dawna Harwell's pelvis, abdomen and spine in 2008, her doctrors in Dallas told her she might have ovarian cancer, which can be especially deadly.
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New Group to Set Priorities for Medical Effectiveness Research

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

More than two years ago, studies found that injection of medical cement into compression fractures of the spine produced no better pain relief than "sham" injections.

U.S. to Force Drug Firms to Report Money Paid to Doctors

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

To head off medical conflicts of interest, the Obama administration is poised to require drug companies to disclose the payments they make to doctors for research, consulting, speaking, travel and entertainment.

Many Ills, Constant Care, but Calling Her Own Shots

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Verona Peters is clear: nursing homes are just not for her.

Really? The Claim: Drinking Water Can Help Lower the Risk of Diabetes

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

There are many reasons to stay properly hydrated, but only recently have scientists begun to consider diabetes prevention one of them.

D.C. Cardiologist Develops Mobile App to Speed Diagnosis of Heart Attacks

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

In theory, the concept seems like a no-brainer for quickly determining if someone is having a heart attack: Use a smartphone, tablet or other device equipped with a camera to take video of the patient's electrocardiogram, or ECG, which is typically used to diagnose heart attacks.

Digitizing Health Records, Before It Was Cool

webmail@rwjf.org — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The push to move the nation from paper to electronic health records is serious business.

U.S. Diabetes Prevention Program Might Avert 885,000 Cases

webmail@rwjf.org — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

A national community-based diabetes prevention program in the United States could prevent or delay 885,000 cases of type 2 diabetes over 25 years, a new federal government study says.

Physician, Heal My Doctor Bills

webmail@rwjf.org — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Few things make me feel as clueless as a bill from my doctor's office.

Getting Patients to Take Charge of Their Health

webmail@rwjf.org — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

One afternoon, I heard a colleague let out an exasperated groan in front of the hospital computers. His patient had been admitted.

How a Doctor Handles a Wife’s Cancer Diagnosis

webmail@rwjf.org — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

At his blog “Life as a Healthcare CIO,” Harvard Medical School chief information officer John Halamka has started writing a series on an unfamiliar health care challenge he now faces: His wife Kathy’s recent breast cancer diagnosis.

Daschle, Frist Join Advisory Board of Health Site ZocDoc

webmail@rwjf.org — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The website ZocDoc has added two former Senate majority leaders to its advisory board.

Do No Harm — And Keep An Eye on Costs

webmail@rwjf.org — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The American College of Physicians hit a nerve when it released an updated ethics manual calling for doctors to provide "parsimonious care" – in other words, "to practice effective and efficient health care and to use health care resources responsibly."

Measuring Quality: 368 New Ideas For 2012

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

How should Medicare and Medicaid measure doctors, hospitals, dialysis centers and other health care providers it pays?

Interactive Tools Used to Assess the Likelihood of Death

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

To help prevent overtesting and overtreatment of older patients — or undertreatment for those who remain robust at advanced ages — medical guidelines increasingly call for doctors to consider life expectancy as a factor in their decision-making.

Project Puts Records in the Patients’ Hands

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

In an old “Seinfeld” episode, Elaine goes to see a dermatologist about a rash, and is left sitting on the table in the exam room, alone with her medical chart. She opens the folder and almost immediately makes a sour face.

White House Cheers News that Health Law Not Adding to Healthcare Costs

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Obama administration on Monday cheered new evidence that the president's healthcare reform law isn't making healthcare more expensive.

Building Health Reform's Research Arm

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

PCORI is not quite a household name, but if Dr. Anne Beal has her way, it will be soon.

Caring Often Goes Beyond the Technical Expertise

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Days before my husband entered the hospital where a team of medical professionals would peer inside his lungs and remove what should not live inside him, I read an article that scared the heebie-jeebies out of me.

Federal Health Care IT Spending Set to Grow

webmail@rwjf.org — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

With money tight, congressional appropriators rarely insist that agencies spend money.

Curbing the Cost of Health Care

webmail@rwjf.org — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The rising cost of health insurance coverage has imposed a heavy burden on our nation.

Collaborating Reduces Costs of Health Care

webmail@rwjf.org — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Peter Cady, who works 12-hour shifts on his feet at Intel's plant here, occasionally suffers severe lower back spasms.

Report Finds Most Errors at Hospitals Unreported

webmail@rwjf.org — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Hospital employees recognize and report only one out of seven errors, accidents and other events that harm Medicare patients while they are hospitalized, federal investigators say in a new report.

Desert Oasis Health Care to participate in Pioneer Accountable Care Program

webmail@rwjf.org — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

In the coming weeks thousands of Medicare patients in the Coachella Valley will have the chance to take part in an experimental program aimed at improving care while lowering costs.

HHS Releases Final Set of Quality Measures for Medicaid-Eligible Adults

webmail@rwjf.org — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Department of Health and Human Services published its final core set of 26 quality measures for adult Medicaid beneficiaries in the Federal Register today.

2011 Medication Shortages Set New Record at 267

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The number of new prescription drug shortages in 2011 shot up to 267, well above the prior record and about four times the number of medication shortages in the middle of the last decade.

Numbers Show High Cost of Skipping Your Meds

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Not taking medicines as prescribed can have huge costs both for patients and the U.S. healthcare system.

Taking Your Meds Can Save Money, Hospital Trips

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Not taking your medicines as prescribed can hurt your wallet as well as your health and far outweigh any savings on your pharmacy bill.

Should Doctors Be 'Parsimonious' About Health Care?

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

A major medical group issued ethical guidelines on Monday that take the provocative position of urging doctors to consider cost-effectiveness when deciding how to treat their patients.

When Nurses Catch Compassion Fatigue, Patients Suffer

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

As a nurse in the cancer center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Wilhelmina Roney, 26, sometimes feels overwhelmed by demands from patients, even though she tries her best to care for them.
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Nowhere to Go: Patients Linger in Hospitals at High Cost

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Hundreds of patients have been languishing for months or even years in New York City hospitals, despite being well enough to be sent home or to nursing centers for less-expensive care, because they are illegal immigrants or lack sufficient insurance or appropriate housing.

Debate Over Who Needs a Thyroid Check in Pregnancy

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Check-ups during pregnancy tend to focus around the waist.

Consumer Reports: Unnecessary Cardiac Screening Test Can Mislead a Patient

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The 53-year-old accountant, a longtime patient of Marvin M. Lipman, Consumer Reports’ chief medical adviser, was smiling when he came in for a routine exam after a winter in Florida.

Two Choices for Best Bedside Read in the Hospital

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

What is the best reading material for a stay in the hospital: the book that will lift you far away from that miserable place, or the one that will plunge you deeper in, a kind of guidebook to clarify local customs and keep you out of trouble?

It Costs More, But Is It Worth More?

webmail@rwjf.org — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

If you want to know what is wrong with American health care today, exhibit A might be the two new proton beam treatment facilities the Mayo Clinic has begun building, one in Minnesota, the other in Arizona, at a cost of more than $180 million dollars each.

Hospital Lures Rural Doctors With Unusual Offer

webmail@rwjf.org — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

The hospital had lost the last doctor in a succession of those who came to the remote Kansas town and left again.

Breast Cancer Patients Face More Imaging Tests Today

webmail@rwjf.org — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

Women with breast cancer undergo many more imaging tests between diagnosis and surgery than they did in the early 1990s, a new study finds.

California ERs Serving Blacks Likelier to Close

webmail@rwjf.org — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

Hospitals in California that served a greater proportion of black patients were more likely to shutter their emergency departments in the past decade than hospitals with fewer black patients, according to a new study.

Cut Readmissions with Discharge 'Passports,' Communication

webmail@rwjf.org — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

Discharge planning and provider communication helped Philadelphia hospitals reduce readmissions by 7 percent, according to a report released last week by The Health Care Improvement Foundation.

A Doctor's Christmas Wish List

webmail@rwjf.org — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

President Obama has played Santa Claus year-round since coming into office, giving the Americans exorbitant “packages” that have time after time proven to be lumps of coal.

California: Nurses Plan One-Day Strike Over Contracts

webmail@rwjf.org — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

Thousands of nurses plan to hold a one-day strike on Thursday over contract disputes between the California nurses’ union and two health care organizations.

Number of Serious Hospital Mistakes in Mass. Unchanged in 2010

webmail@rwjf.org — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

The total number of Massachusetts hospital patients who had the wrong body part operated on, received an erroneous medication, or were seriously disabled or died from a fall remained essentially unchanged in 2010 compared with the previous year, according to hospital safety data released today by state regulators.

Better Care for the Disabled

webmail@rwjf.org — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has vowed to reform the wasteful and sometimes dangerous system that is supposed to care for more than 125,000 developmentally disabled adults in about 6,000 homes across New York State.

Surgery Complications Down with Better Teamwork

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

Hospitals that introduced a program to boost communication and teamwork among doctors and nurses saw a decrease in surgery-related complications, according to a new study.

Nurses Accuse Equity Firm of Cutting Patient Care

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

Instead of the inflatable rat that has become ho-hum at union protests in New York, a giant three-headed dog with fangs was the effigy on display as about 250 unionized nurses rallied outside the Midtown headquarters of the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management.

Will Reading Your Doctor's Notes Lead to Better Health?

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

Could having easier access to the notes your doctor takes during a checkup help you stay healthy?

An interview With Health Reform's Best Hope

webmail@rwjf.org — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

Within the health reform law, Accountable Care Organizations are meant to serve as a crucial tool to bring down health care costs by bringing American medicine past the fee-for-service model.

Area Conference Will Bring Health Care Pros, Educators Together