Updated Monday, Jan. 6, 2014
~ 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. 20 • Premier: ACOs Poised for Growth
http://hlm.tc/1hr2nDQ
~ Dec. 19 • 7 Signs Providers Are Opening Up About Bad Healthcare Outcomes
http://hlm.tc/IYQs4i
Dec. 17 • HL20: Martin Makary, MD—Pushing to Improve Transparency and Quality Standards
http://hlm.tc/JwqWTH
Dec. 13 • AMCs React to Being Shut Out of Some Exchange Plans
http://hlm.tc/19m5wD6
~ Dec. 12 • MUCking Around for New Quality Measures
http://hlm.tc/1fnGRPI
Dec. 11 • HL20: George Halvorson—Expectations for Success
http://hlm.tc/1eVDjDS
Dec. 10 • 1 in 5 CT Screenings for Lung Cancer Results in Overdiagnosis
http://hlm.tc/1gW2Ygm
~ Dec. 5 • New G-Codes to Pay Doctors for Broad Array of Non-Face-to-Face Care
hhttp://hlm.tc/1di1uL7
Dec. 4 • Substance Abuse Resurfaces Among Anesthesiologists in Training
http://hlm.tc/1eVDjDS
Dec. 2 • CMS Sets 2014 Pay Rates for Hospital Outpatient and Physician Services
http://hlm.tc/1fZccLc
Nov. 26 • AHA: Hospital RAC Audits Rising
http://hlm.tc/1cg6P72
~ Nov. 21 • What’s Wrong With Healthcare Quality Measures? Part II
http://hlm.tc/1bV17at
Nov. 21 • Spending on Vascular Care Has Little Effect on Amputations
http://bit.ly/1ba4uMg
Nov. 19 • Higher Intensivist Staffing Levels Linked to Fewer ICU Deaths
http://bit.ly/19CRB78
Nov. 18 • AHA: Hospitals Can Pay Patients’ HIX Premiums
http://bit.ly/18J1X5I
Nov. 15 • OIG Calls for More Scrutiny of Medicare Hospital Outlier Payments
http://bit.ly/1dkAMWF
~ Nov. 14 • What’s Wrong With Healthcare Quality Measures? Part I
http://bit.ly/HP30Kt
Nov. 13 • 1 in 5 Hospital Patients Who Leave Against Medical Advice Are Uninsured
http://bit.ly/1jpkrgG
Nov. 13, 2013 • Pressure is On to Reduce Pressure Ulcers
http://bit.ly/1jpab8j
Nov. 11 • Hospitals Address Compounding Concerns
http://bit.ly/1bo10nB
~ Nov. 7 • Diagnostic Error Detection Comes Into Focus
http://bit.ly/1dkyZk8
Nov. 6 • Surgeons’ Disrupted Sleep Not a Safety Factor
http://bit.ly/187iuAj
Nov. 5 • ECRI Announces Top 10 Healthcare Technology Hazards
http://bit.ly/187wN7X
Nov. 4 • Medicare Pays $23M in Dead Claims
http://bit.ly/1hHcc1l
~ Oct. 31 • 5 Scary Things About Healthcare Quality
http://bit.ly/HuBAKx
Oct. 31 • Joint Commission Announces ‘Top Performers’
http://bit.ly/1aKRUB8
Oct. 30 • ED Visits By Nursing Home Residents ‘Disproportionately High’
http://bit.ly/1ajwTco
Oct. 28 • Adverse Events Draw $775K in Fines at 9 CA Hospitals
http://bit.ly/1hmFF0s
Oct. 24 • Doctors in Residency Fail Tests of Common Courtesy
http://bit.ly/16vqQ9B
~ Oct. 24 • Pronovost Lauds Patient Reporting of Adverse Events via FDA Site
http://bit.ly/1giZFC9
Oct. 23 • Leapfrog Releases Another Hospital Safety Report Card
http://bit.ly/1bW3cS5
~ Oct. 17 • Peer Review of Surgeons’ Skills Carries ‘Threatening Undertones’
http://bit.ly/16dRLGT
Oct. 14 • Compounding Concerns
http://bit.ly/1hC5IRk
~ Oct. 10 • How CMS Penalizes Hospitals for Finding Blood Clots
http://bit.ly/19z3aQo
Oct. 9 Shorter Wait for Surgery After Stents OK, Surgeon Says
http://bit.ly/17lY8mv
Oct. 7 • Cheaper Way to Stop MRSA Adds No Patient Risk
http://bit.ly/15VSoPL
Oct. 3 • Toxic Hospital Practices May Fuel Readmissions
http://bit.ly/1c9sUFG
Oct. 3 • ICU Delirium Linked to Post-Discharge Cognitive Decline
http://bit.ly/174KQdM
Oct. 2 • RWJF Hospital Price Transparency Challenge Winners Announced
http://bit.ly/16gSu8l
Sept. 30 • Can Hospitals Pay Patients’ Health Insurance Premiums?
http://bit.ly/169jXst
~ Sept. 26 • How CMS Keeps Quality Data Secret While Making it Public
http://bit.ly/1dMj8HG
Sept. 24 • Heart Attack Patient Costs Skyrocket Beyond 30 Days
http://bit.ly/198Zu9B
Sept. 23 • UDI Rule for Medical Devices Finally Issued
http://bit.ly/19Mq1pD
~ Sept. 19 • Post-Discharge Efficiency Incentives May Come with Complications
http://bit.ly/1aOngpi
Sept. 17 • Hospital Pay to Reflect Care Efficiency Soon
http://bit.ly/18sRPwy
Sept. 13 • Delivering Safety Over Convenience
http://bit.ly/1ea731A
~ Sept. 12 • IOM Cancer Report Highlights Harmful Care
http://bit.ly/13StP8y
Sept. 11 • IOM: Cancer Care System in Crisis
http://bit.ly/18UhZcC
Sept. 10 • 1 in 5 ICU Patients Get ‘Futile’ Care
http://bit.ly/13FLksw
Sept. 9 • Acing Acute Care for Elders
http://bit.ly/1dV4Jvl
Sept. 5 • Cancer Care for Dying Patients On The Rise
http://bit.ly/14mt1uU
~ Sept. 5 • Financial Incentives for Preventing HAIs Don’t Add Up to Much
http://bit.ly/1ej9QEc
Sept. 4 • Injuries Linked to Da Vinci Surgeries Underreported, Researchers Say
http://bit.ly/1epeUHb
Sept. 3 • Healthcare-Associated Infection Costs Detailed
http://bit.ly/17Bvb79
Aug. 30 • Lawmakers Seek ‘PAC’ Reform
http://bit.ly/15DTb7A
~ Aug. 29 • Tweet Smears Hospital’s Discharge Incentive Campaign
http://bit.ly/142Pq0p
Aug. 27 • Physicians’ Diagnostic Overconfidence May be Harming Patients
http://bit.ly/1fILgKM
Aug. 23 • Surgery Risk Calculator Predicts Complications
http://bit.ly/154L0GU
~ Aug. 22 • It’s Judgment Day for Hospital Websites
http://bit.ly/16ArYp6
Aug. 21 • Medical Errors at 10 CA Hospitals Draw Fines of $625K
http://bit.ly/1bSy4D3
~ Aug. 15 • OB/GYN Pushes Doctors To Think About Cost
http://bit.ly/1bAaMSy
Aug. 12 • 5 Bills, 1 Month: AHA Urges Outreach to Legislators Out on Recess
http://bit.ly/16440lP
Aug. 8 • ‘Objectionable Conditions’ Persist at Drug Compounding Facilities
http://bit.ly/161ax38
~ Aug. 8 How Hospital Practices are Trimmed at UCSF
http://bit.ly/15Vvkm9
Aug. 6 • ‘Perverse Incentives’ Perpetuate Use of Disproven Medical Treatments
http://bit.ly/15KkAqL
Aug. 5 • Final IPPS Rule Elicits Objections from Hospital Groups
http://bit.ly/19j04lZ
Aug. 2 • VRE Infection Control Needs Regional Strategy
http://bit.ly/16owXJW
~ Aug. 1 • Berwick: Zapping Overtreatment, Costs Takes ‘Courage
http://bit.ly/16JrcVh
July 30 • Useless Care for Back Pain on the Rise
http://bit.ly/13WhTCn
July 29 • Berwick Names 11 Monsters Facing Hospital Industry
http://bit.ly/1e5PWd8
July 26 • Medical Error Cost Calculator Riles AHA
http://bit.ly/1bqsefC
~ July 25 • Physicians on Treadmills Diagnose with Accuracy, Says Mayo Doc
http://bit.ly/1bnMYEx
July 25 • Most Physicians Blame Others for Rising Healthcare Costs
http://bit.ly/13H3rhr
July 18 • Cardiac Registry Readmission Rates Now Public
http://bit.ly/12LcwGm
~ July 18 • Leah Binder Wants Your Hospital Data
http://bit.ly/12LnVWr
July 16 • How Safety-Net Hospitals Are Improving the Patient Experience
http://bit.ly/18ldIEB
July 15 • Proposed Medicare Physician Fees’ Winners and Losers
http://bit.ly/12DntF8
July 12 • Observation Status Costly for Hospitals
http://bit.ly/15mOcZB
~ July 11 • Meet the Mother of All Patient Registries
http://bit.ly/1aevJS7
July 9 • CMS Releases Proposed OPPS, Physician Fee Rules
http://bit.ly/12iWtiz
July 2 • Healthcare Quality Metrics ‘Abysmal,’ Senate Panel Hears
http://bit.ly/13Aymh2
June 28 • Gun Injury Hospitalizations Drop 67% in CA
http://bit.ly/17Hgq77
~ June 27 • Killer Metric Separates Good Hospitals From Bad
http://bit.ly/122MaKJ
June 26 • EHR Design Flaws Contribute to Patient Harm in the ED
http://bit.ly/14szlw7
June 25 • Outpatient Preventive Care Efforts Lower Costs Only Marginally
http://bit.ly/11XRzCR
~ June 20 • ED Tries Telemedicine in Bid to Cut Wait Times
http://bit.ly/180VDux
June 13 • Making Patients Happy, Even the Poorest and Sickes
http://bit.ly/16ioUgT
~ June 13 • Physician Pay Will Soon Depend on Outcomes
http://bit.ly/13HVWV4
June 13 • Aggressive End-of-Life Care Easing in Hospitals
http://bit.ly/13GOmKj
June 10 • How Loyola Makes Flu Shot Compliance Soar
http://bit.ly/19gwwEk
June 7 • CA Fines 10 Hospitals $625,000 for Medical Errors
http://bit.ly/15ZTo78
June 6 • Hospitals Lagging on PSO Contracts
http://bit.ly/14j0i7B
~ June 6 • Hospitals’ Fear of 30-Day Penalties May Speed Hospice Admissions
http://bit.ly/11v2EPK
May 31 • Infection Expert: Don’t Rush to Change MRSA Protocols
http://bit.ly/18CmEV0
~ May 30 • This Hospital Infection Don’t Get No Respect
http://bit.ly/1aFb6wR
May 30 • Better MRSA Strategy: Treat All ICU Patients
http://bit.ly/11dulMN
May 29 • Hospitals Thinking Beyond 30-Day Readmissions
http://bit.ly/112jMI9
May 28 • 3 Reasons Urinary Catheters are Overused in Hospitals
http://bit.ly/12eUIoJ
~ May 23 • Hospitals Profit On Bloodstream Infections
http://bit.ly/16bW9G6
May 23 • Less Blood Testing for Some Surgeries Safe, Cost Effective
http://bit.ly/13Nq6bJ
May 21 • How Chargemaster Data May Affect Hospital Revenue
http://bit.ly/18dIYnI
~ May 16 • Patient Harm Data to Remain on Medicare’s Hospital Compare Site
http://bit.ly/10BaeDN
May 16 • Quiet ORs Better for Patient Safety
http://bit.ly/10ABTF0
May 14 • CMS Proposes Reduced Hospital DSH Cuts
http://bit.ly/10nAy8o
May 13, 2013 • Biting the All-Cause Readmissions Bullet
http://bit.ly/12yuoBe
May 10 • Surgeon-Driven Quality Effort Slashes Complications, Costs
http://bit.ly/11XUuwN
~ May 9 • Spirituality Presents a Paradox in End-of-Life Care
http://bit.ly/11VWIgq
May 9 • CMS Releases Hospital Pricing Data
http://bit.ly/10d5Xuh
May 9 • Leapfrog Hospital Safety Scores ‘Depressing’
http://bit.ly/10d5iZQ
May 2 • ED Cost of Care Greatly Underreported, Researcher Says
http://bit.ly/ZXFPmQ
~ May 2 • Deadly CRE Infection Spreading Fast in Hospitals
http://bit.ly/ZpT7Wa
April 30 • IPPS Proposed Rule Adds Readmission Measures, HAC Timeline
http://bit.ly/100ZsKR
April 26 • IPAB Has to Go, Providers and Advocates Urge
http://bit.ly/11JubL5
~ April 25 • If ACE Units Are So Great, Why Aren’t They Everywhere?
http://bit.ly/YV5cmb
April 24 • Hospital Compare Adds Interactive Data
http://bit.ly/14dsJG1
April 23 • Hospital ‘ACE’ Teams Curb Adverse Events, LOS, Costs
http://bit.ly/10aEeae
April 19 • Former ACP President: ‘We Have to be More Efficient’
http://bit.ly/14BBKcE
~ April 18 • Whose Data Is It, Anyway?
http://bit.ly/17sgxgW
April 17 • Gawande: Hospitals Profit When Surgeries Go Wrong
http://bit.ly/172VdjU
April 16 • CMS Mulls Use of Specialty Registries for Quality Data
http://bit.ly/12iWWQT
April 12 • ACP, FSMB Issue Stern Guidance on Social Media
http://bit.ly/122D0Sr
April 11 • Evidence Base for Vena Cava Filter Use ‘Thin’
http://bit.ly/10YITOT
~ April 11 • Video Cameras in the OR May be Inevitable
http://bit.ly/ZjHBv7
April 5 • HIT Errors ‘Tip of the Iceberg,’ Says ECRI
http://bit.ly/Y2hd8P
~ April 4 • $3 Million Health Puzzler Draws to a Close
http://bit.ly/ZaVbA8
April 1 • Scores Predict Readmission Likelihood
http://bit.ly/YNBJgI
March 29 • Better Blood Use, Better Outcomes
http://bit.ly/XLGO5J
~ March 28 • Q&A: Lucian Leape Wants Tougher Patient Safety Regs
http://bit.ly/14z0i55
March 27 • Lumbar Spine MRIs ‘Frequently Inappropriate’
http://bit.ly/10PkCeU
March 26 • Medical Error Risk Rises Under Shorter Medical Intern Shifts
http://bit.ly/14smzBr
March 25 • IOM: Geographic Value Index Won’t Fix Variation
http://bit.ly/10ECjOd
~ March 21 • How the Hospital Inspections Database Came to Life
http://bit.ly/WOjrMF
March 20 • Berwick: Quest Program Results ‘A Breakthrough’
http://bit.ly/YqLNJ9
March 18 • CMS Unveils Hospital Violations Database
http://bit.ly/15h7pL6
~ March 14 • CDI Prevention Protocols Maddeningly Inconsistent
http://bit.ly/ZqGKtN
March 13 • Hospitals Fight MedPAC Plan to Reduce Outpatient Rates
http://bit.ly/WafbH4
March 12 • Colonoscopy ‘Potentially Inappropriate’ for 30% of Seniors
http://bit.ly/YhNquU
~ March 7 • CMS Quietly Makes Some ED Wait Times Public
http://bit.ly/ZhRw7s
March 7 • CMS Posts ED Wait Times, Rankling Some Hospitals
http://bit.ly/Y11x8u
March 5 • Blood’s Shelf Life May Be as Short as 3 Weeks
http://bit.ly/Z6udxj
March 1 • 30-Day Readmission Rates Fell in 2012
http://bit.ly/YbBZ7D
~ Feb. 28 • Free Marketeer’s Healthcare Scheme Would be Chaos
http://bit.ly/YKzVVr
Feb. 27 • Intubation in ICU Linked to PTSD
http://bit.ly/15Q3TKN
Feb. 27 • Truven Top 100 Hospital Scores Measure ‘Leadership Impact’
http://bit.ly/XG0DLz
Feb. 26 • Don’t Blame Hospitals for All Diagnostic Errors
http://bit.ly/15MY0Ov
Feb. 22 • Early Elective Delivery Still a Costly Health Risk
http://bit.ly/15ABjx0
Feb. 21 • Weight Loss Surgery Doesn’t Cut Health Costs
http://bit.ly/YIFcJI
~ Feb. 21 • Robots, Weight Loss Surgery, and a Twisted Tale Out of Baltimore
http://bit.ly/XnZTh7
Feb. 20 • Robotic Surgery Hikes Hysterectomy Costs
http://bit.ly/YGassO
Feb. 19 • NCQA Issues First ACO Accreditations
http://bit.ly/YDHA4g
~ Feb. 14 • ‘Readmissions Week’ Recap
http://bit.ly/ZhWKC7
Feb. 14 • Scripps Seeks to Acquire Assets of Troubled Hospice
http://bit.ly/X7gOV3
Feb. 13 • Weak Link Found Between Readmissions, Mortality
http://bit.ly/YqZy9X
Feb. 13 • Using Dynamite to Blow Up Infections
http://bit.ly/VZlYyQ
Feb. 12 • Dartmouth Readmissions Report Shows Scant Progress
http://bit.ly/Yo6VyV
Feb. 11 • Readmission Prevention Effort Focuses on Colon Surgery Patients
http://bit.ly/We5BAB
Feb. 7 • Medical Errors Draw Fines for 7 CA Hospitals
http://bit.ly/VZ7wZH
~ Feb. 7 • Antimicrobial Trumps Soap and Water in the ICU
http://bit.ly/WRR2no
Feb. 6 • Hospitalizations Up For the Terminally Ill
http://bit.ly/WOyd4w
Feb. 5 • Adverse Drug Reactions ID’d by Phone
http://bit.ly/UUIJGS
Feb. 4 • CMS Unveils 4 Bundled Payment Models
http://bit.ly/Xa8ZeS
Feb. 1 • Physicians’ Persistent ‘Overuse’ of Care Continues
http://bit.ly/WHB6Uw
Jan. 31 • White House Proposes Individual Mandate Rules
http://bit.ly/Vxz9wd
~ Jan. 31 • Healthcare Delivery Gets its Own Journal
http://bit.ly/11mIHqT
Jan. 30 • 4 in 10 Hospitalists Report Unsafe Patient Workloads
http://bit.ly/WwmWp8
~ Jan. 24 • Patient Protection Needs Focus in Obama’s Second Term
http://bit.ly/10Dzeeo
~ Jan. 17 • Medical Error ‘Second Victims’ Get Some Help, Finally
http://bit.ly/XhI0g6
Jan. 16 • Healthgrades Releases Clinical Excellence Hospital Rankings
http://bit.ly/Xkt3ty
Jan. 15 • Readmissions May be Triggered by ‘Post-Hospital Syndrome’
http://bit.ly/W7WeRp
Jan. 10 • Patient Safety Tool Helps ID Hospital Errors
http://bit.ly/WDRUYv
~ Jan. 10 • Crouse Docs Rap to Halt HAC
http://bit.ly/WFlIUr
Jan. 9 • NQF Updates Viral Disease Care Measures
http://bit.ly/11fIZUD
Jan. 8 • AHA to MedPAC: Raise, Don’t Cut Hospital Payments
http://bit.ly/WtmKD9
Jan. 4 • Drop in Central-Line Infection Rates Linked to Disinfection Caps
http://bit.ly/S92j3d
~ Jan. 3 • Best Quality Columns of 2012 from A to Z
http://bit.ly/TzhAIV