Updated Monday, Dec. 22, 2014
~ indicates a regular weekly column on healthcare quality
+ indicates a special column on healthcare human resources issues
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. 19, 2014 • 1 in 5 Eligible Hospitals Penalized for HACs
http://bit.ly/1E3h4Ma
~ Dec. 18 • 12 Hires to Keep Your Hospital Out of Trouble
http://bit.ly/1wmLpjF
Dec. 11, 2014 • HL20: Derek Angus
http://bit.ly/13k26Ru
Dec. 15 2014 • New Care Continuum Partnerships
http://bit.ly/1zWg1JW
~ Dec. 11 • Childbirth Quality Data Seriously Lacking
http://bit.ly/1sm190X
Dec. 8, 2014 • Quality Reporting’s Influence on Clinical Outcomes Examined
http://bit.ly/1yz94tR
~ Dec. 4 • A Mysterious Reduction: HACs Plunge 17%
http://bit.ly/1yk25d8
Dec. 2, 2014 • Physician Fee Schedule Winners and Losers
http://bit.ly/1Gb7QLg
Nov. 21, 2014 • Former NQF Co-Chair Linked to Conflicts of Interest in Journal Probe
http://bit.ly/11mqr7R
~ Nov. 20 • As Retail Clinics Surge, Quality Metrics MIA
http://bit.ly/1F4MgWi
Nov. 20, 2014 • Medicare Cost, Quality Data Tools Weak, Says GAO
http://bit.ly/1z5sQ1J
Nov. 17, 2014 • CIOs, CMOs Share EHR, Telehealth Adoption Experiences
http://bit.ly/1uOloZH
Nov. 14, 2014 • Population Health Challenges HIT, Quality Leaders
http://bit.ly/1yHDpri
Nov. 14, 2014 • The Specialized Hospitalists
http://bit.ly/1y2oKXT
~ Nov. 13 • Medicare to Finally Pay Doctors for Care They Were Giving Away
http://bit.ly/1sJgsiW
Nov. 12 • End to Global Payments a ‘Nightmare,’ Surgeons Say
http://bit.ly/1xxmz0b
~ Nov. 6 • 840 Million Ways to Help Dysfunctional Physician Practices
http://bit.ly/1zz7w8h
Nov. 6 • Two-Midnight, Pioneer ACO Rules Targeted by OIG
http://bit.ly/1y8MhpG
Nov. 3, 2014 • Behind CMS’s $840M Move to Fix Physicians’ Practices
http://bit.ly/1tFLtYM
~ Oct. 30 • Q&A: Nursing Union Leader Talks Ebola Prep
http://bit.ly/1nTksBO
Oct. 27, 2014 • Ebola: Lawmakers, Healthcare Leaders Clash Over Quarantines
http://bit.ly/13poA3w
Oct. 27, 2014 • Ebola: Nurses Demand ‘Tools We Need’ to Fight Infection
http://bit.ly/1xIRwMM
~ Oct. 23 • Ebola: Health Officials Try to Quell Front Line Fears
http://bit.ly/1tl1vZj
Oct. 21, 2014 • House Calls Key to Pioneer ACO Success
http://bit.ly/1tmaBF0
~ Oct. 16 • Ebola: A Call for Designated Hospitals
http://bit.ly/1w9mEp5
Oct. 16, 2014 • Ebola: Second TX Nurse Diagnosed After Improper Protective Gear Application
http://bit.ly/1wcajBi
Oct. 15, 2014 • Solutions to Healthcare’s ‘Obvious Corruption’ Visible
http://bit.ly/1txz8sN
Oct. 15, 2014 • Ebola: CDC Offers Rapid Response to Hospitals
http://bit.ly/1w7273B
Oct. 14, 2014 • Ebola: CDC Seeks to ‘Immediately’ Change Hospital Procedures
http://bit.ly/1rsAlKq
Oct. 13, 2014 • Ebola: Despite ‘Full CDC Precautions,’ Hospital Worker Infected
http://bit.ly/1z4lUpT
October, 2014 • Quality in an Ambulatory Surgical Setting
http://bit.ly/1xIfOZu
~ Oct. 9 • Ebola: Have We Learned Nothing From HIV/AIDS?
http://bit.ly/1pVJnzW
Oct. 6, 2014 • CDC Chief Stresses Infection Control Measures in Ebola Fight
http://bit.ly/1pGXg4S
Oct. 6, 2014 • Q&A: Former Texas Health Exec on Ebola’s Impact
http://bit.ly/1vIDx9R
Oct. 3, 2014 • Hospital: EHR Flaw Obscured Ebola Patient’s Travel Note
http://bit.ly/1vjjv4n
~ Oct. 2 • Ebola: 7 Questions About U.S. Providers’ Response
http://bit.ly/1uEnTOW
Oct. 1, 2014 • Open Payments Site Launches to User Complaints
http://bit.ly/1pAPSIa
Sept. 27, 2014 • Why Open Payments Irks Physicians
http://bit.ly/1xaw03S
Sept. 26, 2014 • Telemetry Overuse Cost Health System $4.8 Million in One Year
http://bit.ly/1uKFvZl
Sept. 26, 2014 • 3 More Pioneer ACOs Say They Will Quit
http://bit.ly/ZGmBGc
~ Sept. 25 • Ebola in the U.S.: Reason to Fear, to Hope, to Prepare
http://bit.ly/1peX0Kf
Sept. 19, 2014 • Few Winners Among MSSP Participants
http://bit.ly/1twgy1S
~ Sept. 18 • Malnourishment ‘Epidemic’ Plagues Hospitals? Really
http://bit.ly/1qOqZOB
Sept. 17, 2014 • EHR Systems ‘Immature, Costly,’ AMA Says
http://bit.ly/1DjtzQG
Sept. 15, 2014 • Advocate, NorthShore Deal Would Create 16-Hospital System
http://bit.ly/1AXr2b0
Sept. 13, 2014 • Building for Quality
http://bit.ly/1v3kbuZ
Sept. 10, 2014 • Infection Control Practices Inconsistently Measured in the ED
http://bit.ly/1AXr2b0
~ Sept. 4 • Hospitalists’ Numbers Quadrupled in Last Decade
http://bit.ly/1u3M0EP
Sept. 4, 2014 • U.S. Healthcare Spending Growth to Resume
http://bit.ly/Whcrcv
Sept. 2, 2014 • Will More Pioneer ACOs Defect?
http://bit.ly/WmqfT4
~ Aug. 28 • PCI: Concerns Mount About Appropriateness
http://bit.ly/1lyB2pC
Aug. 25, 2014 • ‘Kafkaesque’ Value System Unfairly Penalizes Doctor Pay
http://bit.ly/1pxDKf0
Aug. 22, 2014 • TJC Warns Hospitals of Deadly Medical Tubing Mistakes
http://bit.ly/1rpUPd9
~ Aug. 21 • Some Cancer Hospitals’ Quality Data Will Soon Be Public
http://bit.ly/1tlnnCZ
Aug. 20, 2014 • Cleveland Clinic Partners with North Shore-LIJ for Heart Care
http://bit.ly/1tyFvYq
Aug. 18, 2014 • Antibiotic Overuse a ‘Huge Threat’ to Patient Safety, Says CDC
http://bit.ly/XvJJWS
~ Aug. 14 • Age: Sometimes a Good Reason to Discriminate
http://bit.ly/1sGVdna
Aug. 13, 2014 • In Cancer Survivors, Colonoscopy Risks Rise with Age
http://bit.ly/1nONZ98
Aug.11, 2014 • VBP Program Impact, Incentives Questioned
http://bit.ly/1oDvgNX
Aug. 8, 2014 • EHR Adoption Slow, Information Exchange Lagging
http://bit.ly/1srO2vF
Aug. 7, 2014 • Simple EHR Function May Trigger Audits, Hospitalist Cautions
http://bit.ly/1sgnpx5
~ Aug. 7 • CA Sitting on Millions in Hospital Fines
http://bit.ly/1kpuMj6
Aug. 5, 2014 • CMS Issues Final FY2015 Rule on Inpatient Hospital Payments
http://bit.ly/1uiKhtR
~ July 31 • Handshaking Spreads Germs. Get Over It.
http://bit.ly/1rTpPkZ
July 31, 2014 • Senators Hear How Two-Midnight Rule Harms Patients, Hospitals
http://bit.ly/XjGZeS
July 30, 2014 • IOM Identifies GME Problems, Calls for Finance Changes
http://bit.ly/1tZVLSE
July 28, 2014 • CA Fines 8 Hospitals for Medical Errors
http://bit.ly/1zlSoZv
~ July 24 • Surgical Checklists Unused in 10% of Hospitals, CMS Data Shows’ Bias
http://bbit.ly/1rPpjSA
July 24, 2014 • Drug Pricing ‘Tantamount to Greed,’ Lawmaker Says
http://bit.ly/1rxIBNh
July 22, 2014 • Study Puts Spotlight on Preventing Fall-Related Injuries
http://bit.ly/1nUpw1G
July 18, 2014 • Medical Errors Third Leading Cause of Death, Senators Told
http://bit.ly/1wDYC3I
~ July 17 • Prostate Cancer Treatment Trends Show Urologists’ Bias
http://bit.ly/1rklQxN
July 17, 2014 • OPPS Proposal Calls for Colonoscopy Complication Reporting
http://bit.ly/1zICDwG
July 15, 2014 • Docs, Specialists ID Proposed Payment Fee Concerns
http://bit.ly/1rnWUTy
July 11, 2014 • ACGME Chief Sees ‘Huge’ Risk of Error in Proposed Assistant Physician Licensure
http://bit.ly/1jjxuGk
July 10, 2014 • CDC Expanding Quality of Care Efforts
http://bit.ly/1kOvZeo
~ July 10 • Doctor Shortage ‘Fix’ Is a Disaster Waiting to Happen
http://bit.ly/1qo3KH9
July 8, 2014 • Healthcare M&A Links to Integration Questioned
http://bit.ly/1jmkNug
July 7, 2014 • Emergency Surgeries Drop with Insurance Expansion in MA
http://bit.ly/1qNnd6c
July 2, 2014 • 2 GA Healthcare Systems Ink Partnership Deal
http://bit.ly/1mV7TDp
July 1, 2014 • Infection Prevention Effort Targets Hospital Handshakes
http://bit.ly/1quyTMx
~ June 26 • Infuriated by MOC Rules, Physicians Unleash on Certification Boards
http://bit.ly/1mytod0
June 24, 2014 • Senior Medicare Fraud Patrol Recovers $5.9M
http://bit.ly/1opEy3l
June 19, 2014 • Physicians Rail at Recertification Requirements
http://bit.ly/1vXRYGN
~ June 19 • Preventable Deaths Report Not Ready for Prime Time
http://bit.ly/1kTdmoB
June 2014 • Arresting Sepsis Early Saves Money, Lives
http://bitly.com/1oXXODW
June 17 • MedPAC Offers 7 Ways to Adjust Medicare Payments
http://bit.ly/UUmPY3w
~ June 12 • 10 Ways to Halt Drug Diversion by Healthcare Workers
http://bit.ly/1ucr0J0
June 11 • CLABSI Prevention Spotlighted at APIC Conference
http://bit.ly/TODjQw
~ June 5 • Drug Diversion Problem is Bigger Than You Think
http://bit.ly/1kEXCdH
June 5 • Cancer Hospitals Study Yields ‘Confusing’ Findings
http://bitly.com/1i5F3L1
May 30 • Medicare Overpaid Physicians $6.7B For Miscoded Claims
http://bit.ly/TbsDeo
~ May 29 • Medical Error Averted
http://bit.ly/1tUdWth
May 28 • Hospitals Begin Subsidizing Exchange Premiums via Third Parties
http://bit.ly/1rJMRvr
May 23 • Sebelius OKs Foundation Subsidies for QHP Enrollee Premiums
http://bit.ly/1oUaXRS
~ May 22 • After a Medical Error, Patients Could Become Hospital Insiders
http://bit.ly/1mQ5zKY
May 21 • Observation, Two-Midnight Rules Hit in Hearing
http://bit.ly/1jDjIO1
May 19 • ‘Stunning’ Number of Sepsis Cases Among Patients Who Die in Hospitals
http://bit.ly/1uguGes
~ May 15 • QIOs Prep for Big Changes
http://bit.ly/1jyPS7l
May 14 • Medicare Pays Billions for Wasteful Care
http://bit.ly/1ouyd5x
May 12 • Salvaged Blood Safer, Cheaper than Transfusions, Study Says
http://bit.ly/S5W0hb
May 11 • How Making Hospital Quality Data Public Affects Providers
http://bit.ly/1jcpSV8
~ May 8 • Hospitals Brace for Next HAC Penalty
http://bit.ly/1rJMd0K
April 11 • Autopsy Advocates
http://hlm.tc/1eihMsA
April 11 • As Hospitalist Patient Loads Rise, So Do Hospital Costs
http://hlm.tc/1netrZp
~ April 3 • Get Ready for Medicare’s 5-Star Hospital Ratings
http://hlm.tc/1pYKT60
~ March 27 • Hospital Organ Donor Programs Push the Envelope
http://hlm.tc/PjBOI0
March 27 • Hospital-Acquired Infections Decline, But Threat Remains
http://hlm.tc/1i2rD1p
March 26 • Medicare Rules Make Offsite Organ Recovery Costly
http://hlm.tc/1iijcQL
March 25 • Organ Recovery Centers Reduce Transplant Costs 37%
http://hlm.tc/1dmDScS
~ March 20 • The Bad News on Sepsis is Really Good News
http://hlm.tc/1hJV2ys
March 19 • Septic Shock Treatment Protocols Challenged
http://hlm.tc/1lnBC5y
March 13 • Full Accountability
http://hlm.tc/1iiR2r3
~ March 13 • Physician: Adverse Events from Insulin Prescribing ‘An Epidemic’
http://hlm.tc/1dW2oQ6
March 10 • Hospital Groups Strike Back at Hospital Rating Systems
http://hlm.tc/1ge69S1
~ March 6 • Size Matters in Antibiotic Overuse
http://hlm.tc/1lCunZL
March 5 • CDC Warns of Antibiotic Overuse in Hospitals
http://hlm.tc/1nokXzr
March 4 • AHRQ: Surgical Admissions Bring 48% of Hospital Revenue
http://hlm.tc/1ihHqea
March 3 • Steep Drop Seen in Medically Unnecessary C-Sections
http://hlm.tc/1n1pmYQ
~ Feb. 27 • As Allegations Swirl, Baylor Plano Rejects Baldrige Award
http://hlm.tc/NA3KGf
Feb. 27 • PCMH Pilot Not Associated with Cost Reductions, Study Shows
http://hlm.tc/1mHXyZs
Feb. 24 • Insurance Status a Factor in Trauma Care, Study Says
http://hlm.tc/1bXZo7a
~ Feb. 20 • It’s Impossible to Know What $1B in Federal Quality Spending Buys
http://hlm.tc/1l2HUti
Feb. 18 • Top 5 ED Procedures to Avoid
http://hlm.tc/1clOeHm
+ Feb. 17 • AOL Chief’s Benefits Blunder Also a HIPAA Violation
http://hlm.tc/1bFPBTu
~ Feb. 13 • A Hidden Cause of Readmissions Comes to Light
http://hlm.tc/1nwq52J
Feb. 13 • Strategies for Safer Hospital Medicine Also Cut Costs
http://hlm.tc/1dWJxjM
Feb. 12 • ECRI Cautions Hospitals About Tech Hype
http://hlm.tc/1fqRKh3
Feb. 11 • Hospital Engagement Networks Lauded for Lessening Hospital Harm, Costs
http://hlm.tc/1oCh4sf
~ Feb. 6 • Better Bariatric Surgery Outcomes Depend on Data, Accreditation
http://hlm.tc/1fzqUVq
Feb. 4 • Medical Errors Draw $770,000 in Fines in CA
http://hlm.tc/1friGhS
Feb. 3 • OIG to Investigate HIX Flaws in 2014
http://hlm.tc/1ch9LgJ
~ Jan. 30 • Dirty Scrubs and Other Disease-Spreading Attire
http://hlm.tc/1ieqhD7
Jan. 30 • ICU Infection Prevention Practices Lax
http://hlm.tc/1fjiB1g
Jan. 28 • Pledges Reduce Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescribing Rates
http://hlm.tc/1f7qFCl
Jan. 27 • Little Threat to Specialists’ Revenue in Choosing Wisely Recommendations
http://hlm.tc/1qXfpvK
~ Jan. 23 • NQF Distances Itself From Safe Practices Co-Chair
http://hlm.tc/1jFGnWU
Jan. 20 • Miami Children’s Hospital Cuts Chargemaster Rates by 30%
http://hlm.tc/1aE5VRy
~ Jan. 16 • Feds to Release 8 Quality Measures for Psych Unit Care
http://hlm.tc/1dxZbFX
Jan. 16 • RAC Appeals Process ‘Broken,’ AHA Says
http://hlm.tc/Lj9Av5
~ Jan. 9 • 12 Things I’d Change On Hospital Compare
http://bit.ly/1hDAiMu
Jan. 9 • NFP Groups Release CA Patient Experience Rankings
http://hlm.tc/1bUIhwm
Jan. 8 • Fresh Take on Hospital Discharges Cuts Readmissions
http://hlm.tc/1dCuz2i
Jan. 7 • Top 14 Healthcare Quality Issues for 2014, Part 2
http://hlm.tc/1eEnjFr
Jan. 6 • Top Healthcare Quality Issues for 2014, Part I
http://hlm.tc/JY1dn3
Jan. 3 • Top Healthcare Buzzwords for 2014, Part 2
http://hlm.tc/JEALzA
Jan. 2 • Top Healthcare Buzzwords for 2014, Part 1
http://hlm.tc/1gqqjaj
~ Jan. 2, 2014 • First Ray of Sun Shines on Cancer Measure Reporting
http://hlm.tc/1cLgd3a