HealthLeaders Media Stories – 2012
updated Friday, Dec. 28, 2012
~ indicates a regular weekly column on healthcare quality
Note: Many if not most of these links no longer work. However, I’ve found that a Google search for the headline turns up the piece. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Dec. 28 • 13 Top Healthcare Buzzwords for 2013
http://bit.ly/YTGeYk
~ Dec. 27 • A Hospital Chief’s Auld Lang Syne for 2013
http://bit.ly/YQWxFe
Dec. 21 • Immediate Jeopardy Fines for 12 California Hospitals
http://bit.ly/R8RkFk
~ Dec. 20 • Hospital Care ‘3,000 Times Less Safe Than Air Travel,’ Says TJC Chief
http://bit.ly/TaqX0b
Dec. 20 • CA Hospital Margins on the Rise
http://bit.ly/R6QWXP
Dec. 18 • Healthcare Workers Don’t Always Practice What They Preach
http://bit.ly/U9VU6E
Dec. 13 • 20 Health Leaders Who Make a Difference
http://bit.ly/UnqYMK
• Linda Aiken – RN—Advocate for Healthcare Quality and Nursing
http://bit.ly/S92hZ3
• Ellen Beck MD—Giving Life to Hope in the Desert of the Underserved
http://bit.ly/Zp00uU
~ Dec. 13 • IHI: Time to Get Serious About Healthcare Quality, Costs
http://bit.ly/UpLrB2
Dec. 13 • The Near Miss
http://bit.ly/UGb15m
Dec. 12 • Higher Readmission Penalties Linked to Low HCAHPS Scores
http://bit.ly/UTBfDK
Dec. 10 • Q&A: Don Berwick Reflects on Healthcare Reform, Part II
http://bit.ly/SLmBwp
Dec. 6 • Malpractice Claims Drop 39% Under Perinatal Safety Initiative
http://bit.ly/SAfs1S
~ Dec. 6 • Q&A: Don Berwick Reflects on Healthcare Reform, Part I
http://bit.ly/SBdOgs
Dec. 3 • 34 Ways to Stop Colorectal Surgery Infections
http://bit.ly/SrVuGz
~ Nov. 30 • Exeter Patients May Have Suffered Pain from Drug Diversion
http://bit.ly/Sk76uW
Nov. 29 • ‘Last Shot’ for Embattled Exeter Hospital
http://bit.ly/V5PJP9
Nov. 28 • Leapfrog’s New Safety Report Card Alarms Hospitals
http://bit.ly/WZVKRk
Nov. 27 • How Hospitals Prevent VTE
http://bit.ly/WVP1Ik
Nov. 26 • Two Dartmouth Studies Report Unnecessary Testing
http://bit.ly/UMIY4u
Nov. 21 • HHS Issues 2014 Rules for Health Plans, Exchanges
http://bit.ly/UCJT7F
Nov. 19 • 3 Hospitals First to Receive Comprehensive Stroke Designation
http://bit.ly/XVA60Q
Nov. 15 • Delay in Transporting Some Trauma Patients Linked to In-Hospital Mortality
http://bit.ly/UIlCet
~ Nov. 15 • Why Healthcare Costs Trillions Less in Canada
http://bit.ly/XJtl1W
Nov. 13 • Pharmacy Fungus Plunges Doctors Into ‘Gray Zone’
http://bit.ly/XBjTOc
~ Nov. 8 • The Election Is Over, But Not the Shouting
http://bit.ly/TaOahI
Nov. 7 • Top 10 Healthcare IT Hazards
http://bit.ly/QnW2zD
Nov. 6 • Q&A: Kaiser Permanente’s Next CEO Talks Strategy
http://bit.ly/QkwYcz
Nov. 5 • Physician Pay Wars’ Winners and Losers
http://bit.ly/SNSpjh
Nov. 1 • Mount Sinai Innovates to Absorb Evacuated Patients
http://bit.ly/SzTBrK
~ Nov. 1 • Why Did NYU Langone’s Emergency Generators Fail?
http://bit.ly/Q9fW10
Oct. 31 • NCQA: Health Plan Quality of Care is Improving
http://bit.ly/RqRzXM
Oct. 30 • Court Rulings Could Squelch Reports of Errors
http://bit.ly/RmnacU
Oct. 29 • Bad CDC Data May Have Skewed Research
http://bit.ly/VyMtuf
~ Oct. 25 • Q&A: Readmissions Prevention Expert Warns of Penalties
http://bit.ly/Rfw6Rt
Oct. 24 • Healthgrades Revs its Hospital Scoring System
http://bit.ly/QWIu8F
Oct. 23 • Exeter Hospital on ‘Termination Track,’ Says State Official
http://bit.ly/POh7D0
Oct. 19 • SGR Repeal Plea Backed by 110 Physician Groups
http://bit.ly/PG4f1B
~ Oct. 18 • Medical Harm Complaint System Could be Quality Data Goldmine
http://bit.ly/TzHyrE
Oct. 16 • Mandatory Use of CPOE Prevents Blood Clots
http://bit.ly/QAMqy4
Oct. 11 • ‘No-Pay’ Policy for HAIs Does Not Reduce Infections
http://bit.ly/TiQsJv
~ Oct. • 11 Hospital Concerns Over Drug Supplies Mount as Meningitis Outbreak Spreads
http://bit.ly/RtAgZR
Oct. 10 • Comparative Effectiveness Research Not Aligned with Financial Incentives
http://bit.ly/PnAxhO
Oct. 9 • Hospitals Overspending on Blood Transfusions
http://bit.ly/PlvLkN
Oct. 8 • OIG to Investigate Hospital Payments in 2013
http://bit.ly/TbCl8U
Oct. 5 • Q&A: Kaiser Permanente CEO Halvorson on Retirement
http://bit.ly/T5nUmJ
Oct. 4 • How CBOs May Help Shrink Readmissions
http://bit.ly/Pcy4Xi
~ Oct. 4 • Failure to Manage Diabetic Eye Disease Screenings Carries Staggering Costs
http://bit.ly/Rg1d07
Oct. 1 • Medicare Pay Cuts for Poor Readmission Scores Begin
http://bit.ly/QFYFuX
Sept. 28 • 1 in 3 Providers Avoid Flu Shots as Stakes Rise
http://bit.ly/Qv4jjd
~ Sept. 27 • Take ‘Healthcare 101’ and See the Doctor
http://bit.ly/QrVLd9
Sept. 26 • Antibiotic Use, Costs Show Wide Regional Variations
http://bit.ly/PnDBGa
Sept. 25 • Drug Shortages: 10 Ethics Rules for Hospitals
http://bit.ly/PjwChE
Sept. 24 • NCQA Offers ACO Accreditation Review
http://bit.ly/Pfyk3C
~ Sept. 20 • Pronovost Calls for an ‘SEC’ for Healthcare Quality
http://bit.ly/PYadcw
Sept. 19 • Joint Commission ‘Top Performers’ List Adds 200 Hospitals
http://bit.ly/OZqXgx
Sept. 18 • 3 in 10 Surgery Residents Need Remediation
http://bit.ly/QWALuk
Sept. 13 • Readmissions and Community-Based Support
http://bit.ly/TVY1N5
~ Sept. 13 • Hopkins Surgeon Blasts Healthcare Safety, Ethics
http://bit.ly/PyKdUL
Sept. 11 • Blood Infections Plunge 40% Under Safety Protocol
http://bit.ly/S7iU0z
Sept. 7 • IOM Urges 10 Major Healthcare Fixes
http://bit.ly/POtEkS
~ Sept. 6 • $9.25M in Fines for Medical Errors Goes Largely Unspent in CA
http://bit.ly/NeNGYw
Sept. 5 • Informed Decision Tools Largely Reduce Ortho Joint Surgeries
http://bit.ly/PIkDto
Aug. 31 • CA Fines 14 Hospitals for Medical Errors
http://bit.ly/N3dK90
~ Aug. 30 • HCA Probe Spotlights Cardiologists’ ‘Irresistible Temptation’
http://bit.ly/OCmNNS
Aug. 29 • MN Physician Groups Rated by Consumer Reports
http://bit.ly/MZtHNm
Aug. 28 • Diagnostic Errors Found in 1 of 4 ICU Patient Deaths
http://bit.ly/MXw43i
Aug. 27 • HCA Probe Reignites Questions Over Interventional Appropriateness
http://bit.ly/PmJmDC
~ Aug. 23 • ‘Hospital of the Future’s’ Top 20 Features
http://bit.ly/QvvfdI
Aug. 23 • Infections From Tattoos Spark FDA Warnings
http://bit.ly/MOpHPw
Aug. 21 • Physician Burnout Pervasive: 1 in 2 Internists Affected
http://bit.ly/MIXvO7
Aug. 17 • CDC Urges Hepatitis C Testing for All Baby Boomers
http://bit.ly/P2HgbE
~ Aug. 16 • ‘Informed Decision’ May Irk Surgeons as It Cuts Costs, Improves Quality
http://bit.ly/P3gSi0
Aug. 15 • Blood Transfusion Refusal Poses No Risk in Cardiac Patients
http://bit.ly/OY7WKL
Aug. 14 • Hospital Glucose Monitors Overlooked as Infection Source
http://bit.ly/OWctgI
Aug. 13 • Sentinel Alert on Opioids Spotlights Provider Misuse
http://bit.ly/NRAvZp
Aug. 13 • When Data Makes You Look Bad
http://bit.ly/NRB20W
(This story was published in the August issue of HealthLeaders Magazine)
Aug. 10 • Exeter Hospital Tech Had ‘Open Lesions’
http://bit.ly/MGXp4Z
Aug. 9 • States May Drop Medicaid Expansion, CMS Says
http://bit.ly/ONzylD
~ Aug. 9 • Adverse Events and Other Rants: 10 Favorite Reads
http://bit.ly/OO2iLg
Aug. 6 • Imaging Rates Scrutinized; Conclusions Mixed
http://bit.ly/OERcIl
~ Aug. 2 • ‘Serial Infector’ Investigation Points to Need for Federal Registry
http://bit.ly/QB4Wqj
Aug. 2 • Hospital Infections Linked to Burned Out Nurses
http://bit.ly/Qzgp9L
~ July 26 • Hospitals’ Adverse Event Reporting Systems Inadequate
http://bit.ly/LQbscH
July 26 • NAPH Chief Warns of ‘Disaster’ if States Don’t Expand Medicaid
http://bit.ly/OpscF5
July 25 • 30-Day Readmission, Mortality Rates Updated
http://bit.ly/LNtoQj
July 20 • CMS Updates Hospital Compare Website
http://bit.ly/Pq2SS3
~ July 19 • 7 Ways the PPACA Hurts Safety Net Hospitals
http://bit.ly/PmYXWb
July 18 • Low HCAHPS Scores at Safety Net Hospitals Examined
http://bit.ly/Oa1LmI
July 17 • Bariatric Surgery Fails to Shrink Healthcare Costs
http://bit.ly/Q1TNjI
July 17 • U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals List Shifts Methodology
http://bit.ly/Q1TMvZ
July 16 • CDC Links Injection Practices to Hospitalizations
http://bit.ly/M2LIGA
July 13 • Nearly All Nursing Homes Fail Federal Rules on Anti-Psychotics
http://bit.ly/LUrPS7
~ July 12 • PPACA’s Impact on Quality of Care Isn’t Getting Its Due
http://bit.ly/LS7KM3
July 11 • Repeal of PPACA Would Be ‘Devastating,’ Sebelius Says
http://bit.ly/MidZh1
July 10 • Medicare Proposal Ties Stricter Quality Measures to ESRD Payments
http://bit.ly/RVoZQ9
July 5 • Consumer Reports Rates Hospital Safety
http://bit.ly/MX1eXd
~ July 5 • MoMs Hips a Grinding Dilemma for Hospitals, Doctors, FDA
http://bit.ly/LX6UvU
July 2 • 10 Polemics from the Supreme Court Decision
http://bit.ly/N41sr4
July 2 • Hospital Leaders Ponder Impact of Political Uncertainty
http://bit.ly/N41vTV
June 29 • Providers, Payers Largely Favor PPACA Decision
http://bit.ly/MFAGtv
~ June 28 • Hospital’s Drug Diversion Nightmare Spawns Multiple Infections
http://bit.ly/LwDLay
June 28 • AHA: Leapfrog ‘Manipulated’ Data Related to Safety Scores
http://bit.ly/MXNedo
June 26 • U.S. Overpaying for Veterans’ Healthcare
http://bit.ly/MRZnBV
June 25 • AHA Rejects Proposed Readmission Penalties
http://bit.ly/MvFnmx
~ June 21 • Hospital-Acquired VTE Still a Leading Cause of Death
http://bit.ly/KPBHAz
HHS: 3.1M Young Adults Covered Under PPACA
http://bit.ly/N45mlH
June 20 • Wendell Potter: Health Insurance Industry Lacks Unified Opinion on Reform
http://bit.ly/NPLy9i
June 20 • 10 Tips and 32 Strategies for Healthcare CEOs
http://bit.ly/KTgvFf
June 18 • AMA, AHA at Odds Over ‘Surprise’ Medicare Final Rule
http://bit.ly/KTgvFf
~ June 14 • Leapfrog’s ‘License Fees’ for Promoting Hospital Scores Rankle
http://bit.ly/MtQNsX
Jun 12 • Lab’s Non-Coverage Notice Deters Medicare Patients
http://bit.ly/N86SaT
~ June 7 • Hospitals Give Leapfrog Safety Scores a Failing Grade
http://bit.ly/LHm8nU
June 6 • Leapfrog Issues Hospital Safety Report Cards
http://bit.ly/Mdd9zw
June 5 • Dangerous Injection Practices Still a Threat
http://bit.ly/LlM4Fy
June 4 • 13 Hospitals Fined for Immediate Jeopardy Violations in CA
http://bit.ly/KwZPa6
May 31 • 1 in 3 Medi-Cal Enrollees Delay Care on Cost Concerns
http://bit.ly/JP0Jj0
~ May 31 • Surgical Site Infections Persist, But Why?
http://bit.ly/M8wVeU
May 30 • HCAHPS Scores Show Wide Variation
http://bit.ly/KvWSW5
May 29 • 1 in 5 ED Patients Referred By Primary Care Doctors
http://bit.ly/M1MRCs
May 25 • Five Hospitals Share Three Secrets to Improve Knee Surgery Outcomes
http://bit.ly/Jy0qUP
~ May 24 • New Facebook Page Gathers Stories of Medical Harm
http://bit.ly/JpdASH
May 21 • ICD-10 Coding Uncovers Higher Rate of Fatal Falls Among Seniors
http://bit.ly/JgxbWl
May 18 • Medical Boards Step Up Disciplinary Actions
http://bit.ly/Jqi0Pd
~ May 17 • Beyond HCAHPS, Patient Surveys Dig Into Functional Outcomes
http://bit.ly/KE2c9t
May 15 • Feeding Tube Use in Dementia Patients Linked to Pressure Ulcers
http://bit.ly/J6k2m4
May 11 • CMS Cuts Red Tape, Providers to Save $5B
http://bit.ly/IQGNKZ
~ May 10 • Meaningful Use Quality Measures May Be Meaningless
http://bit.ly/IWCLjY
May 10 • Medicaid Reimbursement Rate Hike Proposed
http://bit.ly/JeyWoK
May 9 • CMS Grants Providers $122M to Improve Care, Cut Costs
http://bit.ly/IKEHfy
May 7 • Hospital ED Wait Times Reveal Huge Variations
http://bit.ly/JrdwTj
May 3 • Medicare’s ‘No-Pay’ HAI Policy Reshifts Hospital Priorities
http://bit.ly/K4aTc3
~ May 3 • How IPPS Proposed Rules Would Affect Quality Measures
http://bit.ly/KuWz9r
May 2 • CMS Plan Would Tie Efficiency Scores to Hospital Payments
http://bit.ly/KM6a0G
April 30 • In Transfusion, More Blood Means More Risk, Higher Cost
http://bit.ly/J4yrvi
~ April 26 • Hospital Readmissions, Mortality Incentives Alarmingly Misaligned
http://bit.ly/IZAP6F
April 25 • IPPS Proposed Rules Clarify Readmissions Penalties
http://bit.ly/I1kjmq
April 24 • CABG Readmissions Data Added to CA Outcome Reports
http://bit.ly/IkTLuM
~ April 19 • Feds Urge Cuts in Use of Anti-Psychotic Drugs for Seniors
http://bit.ly/Iq1CJR
April 19 • Nearly All Anesthesiologists Report Drug Shortages
http://bit.ly/JBdB6W
April 18 • Comparative Effectiveness Studies Explore Cancer, Trauma Care
http://bit.ly/IK6aIh
April 17 • Thomson Reuters Names Top 100 Hospitals for 2012
http://bit.ly/HNVaKU
April 17 • Da Vinci Robot Surgical Risks Detailed
http://bit.ly/HRm1KQ
~ April 12 • Preventing Hospital Readmissions Takes a Village
http://bit.ly/IfxoGg
April 11 • CMS Taps 27 ACOs to Start Shared Savings Program
http://bit.ly/HBThCf
April 11 • Dartmouth Atlas: Poor Care for Terminal Cancer Patients Widespread
http://bit.ly/HxlKYH
April 9 • NQF Identifies Efficient Care for 4 Conditions
http://bit.ly/HvlmLW
April 5 • Groups Urge Caution on 45 Standards of Care
http://bit.ly/HoXTxh
~ April 5 • Why Process Measures Fail to Budge 30-Day Mortality Rates
http://bit.ly/HYT23G
April 2 • Pay-for-Performance Study Results ‘Sobering’
http://bit.ly/HYT23G
March 30 • 7 in 10 Ambulances Positive for Staph Isolates
http://bit.ly/HqejTk
March 30 • Regardless of Court Ruling, Reform Under Way
http://bit.ly/Hsw3Bp
~ March 29 • 10 Things We Don’t Know About Looming Readmission Penalties
http://bit.ly/GZRDIM
March 29 • 30-Day Readmissions Rule Under Two-Pronged Attack
http://bit.ly/HoPtXp
March 28 • PCI Safe in Hospitals Lacking Cardiac Surgery Units
http://bit.ly/GXxa94
March 27 • IOM: Medical Disaster Planning ‘Rudimentary at Best’
http://bit.ly/GQFdTD
March 23 • Should Surgeons Postpone Procedures for Heavy Drinkers?
http://bit.ly/GRJbf6
~ March 22 • ACA Turns Two; Has it Improved Quality of Care?
http://bit.ly/GRhZ27
March 20 • Federal Infection Disclosure Mandates Urged
http://bit.ly/GCaHLY
March 16 • MEDPAC: Hospitals Should Get 1% Payment Update in 2013
http://bit.ly/xbffJU
~ March 15 • Patients Set to Unleash Feedback on Doctors
http://bit.ly/zkcnU0
March 14 • MRSA Meets its Match in Certified Infection Preventionists
http://bit.ly/waUyuq
March 12 • Surgical Oncologists Least Likely to Discuss Fertility Options with Patients
http://bit.ly/ADUff1
March 9 • Readmission More Likely for Non-surgical Patients
http://bit.ly/zvxk1Y
~ March 8 • PCORI Nails Down a Definition, at Last
http://bit.ly/xJsTe3
March 7 • Most C. Diff Infections Start in Healthcare Facilities
http://bit.ly/zUuj9E
March 6 • CMS Plan to Restrict Sale of Pain Drugs Opposed by AMA
http://bit.ly/x2p3Kd
March 5 • Medicare Patients Given Fewer Treatment Options
http://bit.ly/w767Xp
~ March 1 • ICD-10 Proponents Cry Foul
http://bit.ly/wF0eKi
Feb. 29 • Kaiser Permanente Ordered to Halt Denial of Care
http://bit.ly/w7YkMk
Feb. 28 • Joint Commission Issues First Palliative Care Certifications
http://bit.ly/w9OfTn
~ Feb. 23 • HIMSS: Don’t Let HIT Obscure Patient Safety Needs
http://bit.ly/w8xikn
Feb. 21 • Meaningful Use Incentive Payouts Top $3B
http://bit.ly/xoedbk
Feb. 17 • $323M in MLR Rebates Expected in First Year
http://bit.ly/wsiCma
~ Feb. 16 • When A Surgical Site Infection Sends a Friend Through Hell
http://bit.ly/z6QVf2
Feb. 13 • Urinary Catheter Process Measures Improve in MI
http://bit.ly/AabYKE]
Feb. 10 • Feds Release Final Rules on Health Plan Language
http://bit.ly/yD0eIu
Feb. 8 • Emergency Surgery Needs Distinct Code Registry, Researchers Say
http://bit.ly/Aen7mi
~ Feb. 9 • CMS Reveals Central Line Infection Rates, Finally
http://bit.ly/xBXmde
Feb. 3 • Hospital HCAHPS Scores Beat Expectations
http://bit.ly/wiWpYa
~ Feb. 2 • Hospitals Urged to Track Quality in Obstetrics
http://bit.ly/wkLZVo
Feb. 2 • Medicare Advantage Enrollment Grows, Premiums Shrink
http://bit.ly/wTQgwN
Feb. 1 • Breast Cancer Reexcision Rates Vary Widely
http://bit.ly/y55bWJ
Jan. 31 • Medicare Advantage Overpayments May Top $3B
http://bit.ly/zjq7S0
Jan. 27 • Overweight Physicians Display Bias in Obesity Care
http://bit.ly/yKruZW
~ Jan. 26 • Physician Referral Patterns Ripe for Scrutiny
http://bit.ly/xddjnN
Jan. 26 • Reducing Early Elective Births Could Save $1B Annually
http://bit.ly/xYIfhB
Jan. 25 • Hospital Takes on Septicemia, Saves 36 Lives
http://bit.ly/AlvPu1
Jan. 24 • First PCORI Report Short on Specifics
http://bit.ly/wntnxt
~ Jan. 19 • 8 Reasons Why Ambulatory Care Quality Matters More Than Ever
http://bit.ly/ws7SEI
Jan. 18 • Post-Surgical Blood Clot Study Stirs Controversy
http://bit.ly/A9xNz4
Jan. 13 • Trustmark’s Premium Hikes ‘Excessive,’ Says HHS
http://bit.ly/wbZMiy
Jan. 12 • 20% of Healthcare Dollars Spent on 1% of Population
http://bit.ly/zfynCf
~ Jan. 12 • 7 Reasons Hospitals Buy Technology They Don’t Need
http://bit.ly/xjSqOf
Jan. 9 • 10 Hospital Technologies to Watch Carefully
http://bit.ly/xrgSlN
~ Jan. 6 • Stop Using In-Hospital Mortality Rates to Judge Quality
http://bit.ly/ApoZLT
Jan. 4 • Top 12 Healthcare Quality Concerns in 2012
http://bit.ly/x7GQHU