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Aug. 2010 - Newsletter Issue 2

Aug.  2010 - Newsletter

  1. 1)  Medicare Viability Extended to 2029
    2)  Home MRSA Testing Available in England
    3)  New Articles on MRSA Surveillance
    4)  General Surgeon Shortage
    5)  CMS Value Purchasing in the RHQDAPU Initiative Now Includes HACs

July 2010 - Newsletter

  1. 1)  US Last in Healthcare Rankings - Commonwealth Fund
    2)  US Maternal Mortality Rate is On The Rise
    3)  CMS Considers New Reportable HAI (SSI & CLABSI)
    4)  Poor Infection Control in Surgery Centers
    5)  MRSA Develops More Resistance
    6)  CDC Advocates Public Reporting of HAI
    7)  State Plans for HAI Are On the Web
    8)  Transparency Reduces Malpractice Costs

June 2010 - Newsletter

  1. 1)  VA Hospital's National MRSA Study Results.
    2)  AHA - Advancing Excellence in Patient Care.
    3)  APIC Survey on Hospital Control of C. Diff.
    4)  Public Reporting of HAI in Illinois is Making a Difference.

May 2010 - Newsletter

  1. 1) National Academy for State Health Policy reports on States Adopting Medicare Regulations for their Medicaid programs.
    2)  ARHQ - Hospital Acquired Infections - Getting Worse ??
    3)  Importance of Nursing Staffing and Good Patient Outcomes - The California Experience with Nurse to Patient Ratios - Linda Aiken, RN PhD
    4)  Did the FDA with held safety data on imaging studies??
    5)  Leapfrog Group Releases 2009 Hospital Survey. 

Apr. 2010 - Newsletter

  1. 1) Healthcare Reform - Insurance Companies & Provider Integrati0n
    2) Health grades 2010  - Patient Safety Study
    3) GAO Report 93% of adverse events did not generate reports in surveyed hospitals.
    4) MRSA Colonization rates of 4% to 6%,  C. Diff now leads MRSA,  Public reporting of hospital acquired infections is producing results in Pennsylvania.

Mar. 2010 - Newsletter

  1. 1)  Healthcare Reform - The Final Push
    2)  Healthcare Acquired Infections - Update
    3)  How states Spent Their HAI Grant
    4)  Hospital Acquired Conditions, Poor State of Voluntary Reporting  - OIG
    5)  High Insurance Premiums
    6)  High Tech, High Cost, Low Payoff
    7)  Concern over Radiation Safety

Feb. 2010 - Newsletter

  1. 1)  CDC Supports Public Reporting of Healthcare Acquired Infections
    2)  US Government Provides Health Insurance for Over 50% of the Population
    3)  Patient Safety Organizations are Slow to Come On-Line
    4)  Canadian Premier Goes to USA For Heart Surgery

Jan. 2010 -  Newsletter Issue 2

  1. 1)  Hospital Acquired Infections - Recent Articles of Interest and New Support for Universal Screening of MRSA
    2)  Mayo Clinic Abandoning Medicare.
    3)  Expanded National Practitioner's Databank.
    4)  CT Scans and Risk of Causing Cancer.

Jan. 2010 - Newsletter

  1. 1)  Is the US falling behind the world in MRSA prevention??
    2)  Washington, Ohio and Tennessee are posting facility infection rates online.
    3)  Physician employment by hospitals is increasing the cost charged to patients.
    4)  High Value hospitals may get paid more.
    5)  23% of US citizens report being uninsured for at least part of the year. 

Dec. 2009 - Newsletter

  1. 1)  MRSA USA 600 - A superior Strain with five times the death rate
    2)  Public and government pressure reduce HAI in Massachusetts
    3)  Community associated MRSA on the rise in hospitals.
    4)  CAUTI - CDC issues prevention guidelines.
    5)  New GAO report gives poor rankings to 10 Kentucky nursing homes.
    6)  Health insurance rates double since 2000.

Nov. 2009 - Newsletter  Issue 2

  1. 1)  Transparency and Never Events in the House and Senate Healthcare Reform Bills.   
    2)  Central Line Associated Infections reduced by over 80%. 
    3)  Colorado Hospital Association's Principles on Never Events.
    4.  The High Infant Mortality Rate in The USA. 
    5)  The Shortage of US Surgeons.  
    6)  The Joint Commission has a Competitor.
    7)  MRSA Carriers Have a Higher Post-op Infection Rate. 
    8)  C. Diff rates lowered at a Lancaster, PA Hospital. 
    9)  MRSA Getting Deadlier.
    10)  45,000 Deaths Linked to a Lack of Health Insurance.          

Nov. 2009 - Newsletter 

  1. 1)  The High Cost of Healthcare Waste - Thomson Reuters. 
    2)  Healthcare Performance Report - Commonwealth Fund -- KY 45th.
    3)  Underreporting of Adverse Events - The Medical Data Bank and the Joint Commission.
    4)  Healthcare Acquired Infections - NM MRSA Projects shows positive results.

Oct. 2009 - Newsletter  Issue 2

  1. 1)  Pay for performance (HQID) has improved quality measures by 18.6%. 
    2)  Dartmouth Atlas reports that Medicare utilization and costs vary widely between different US Regions.
    3)  Children covered by Medicaid may have reduced access to healthcare.
    4)  Medical tourism is thriving because of the high cost of US Healthcare.
    5)  A review of the three proposed healthcare reform packages regarding never events and the public reporting of healthcare acquired infections.

Oct. 2009 - Newsletter

  1. 1)  PHC4 Report 38% of hospital readmissions from HAI or complications. 
    2)  Kaiser Foundation - 42% feel they are better off if healthcare reform passes.
    3)  NEJM large variance in what is spent on healthcare in different US Regions.
    4)  By 2020 Family Health Insurance Coverage is projected to cost $23,842. 

Sept. 2009 - Newsletter

  1. 1)  CDC Reports New Estimates on the Cost of Healthcare Acquired Infections
    2)  NEJM Reports the Majority of Physicians Support Either a Public Option or Single Payer System
    3)  AP Reports 30% of Americans have a form of Government Insurance.
    4)  President Obama Statement on Transparency and "Competitive Pressure". 

Aug. 2009 - Newsletter

  1. 1)  US House Healthcare Reform Bill HR 3200 addresses Healthcare Acquired Infections and Medicaid Non-Payment of Never Events.
    2)  Courier Journal Chief Editorial Editor calls for KY Legislature to address public reporting of HAI.
    3)  Robert Wood Johnson Study finds high rate of nurse turnover.
    4)  AHRQ reports on the high cost of health insurance and that 15% of Kentuckians are uninsured.  
    5)  BBC reports wait times in the UK Healthcare System may be longer than once thought. 

    1. Referenced Material
      a)  HB 3200 S1751-Medicaid Non-Payment of Never Events.
      b)  HB 3200 S1461 -Public Reporting of HAI
      c)  KY Healthcare Status - 2008

July 2009 - Newsletter Issue 2

  1. 1)  Public Reporting of Healthcare Acquired Infections is Indorsed by Major Medical Organizations
    2)  American College of Surgeons report Higher Than Expected Post Op Infections.
    3)  30 States Now Implementing Public Reporting of Healthcare Acquired Infections. 
    4)  KHA Quality Transparency of Risk Adjusted Hospital Mortality Rates.
    5)  The uninsured are responsible for Nearly 20% of ER visits.
    6)  United Kingdom healthcare system has been reported to have higher cancer mortality rates.

July 2009 - Newsletter

  1. 1)  USA Today Hospital Mortality and Readmission Tool
    2)  Hospital Acquired Infections - CDC State Template, CJ News Article, SHEA recommendations.
    3)  Tobacco - Free Radicals & Long-term Effects of Secondhand Smoke
    4)  Wait times in UK and Canada, Problems with For-Profit Medicine.

June 2009 - Newsletter

  1. 1)  Rand Corporation Categorizes Healthcare Reform Efforts
    2)  Health Insurance Policies Costing Doctors Billions to Comply With
    3)  Up to 40% of Angioplasties Unnecessary???
    4)  Healthcare Acquire Infections ( MRSA and C. Dif ) Increasing Faster Than Expected

May 2009 - Newsletter

  1. 1)  Patient Safety Measures Have Worsened
    2)  Reduction in Hospitalizations Touted as Way to Save the Healthcare Dollar
    3)  Office of Health Reform Personnel Appointed
    4)  Healthcare Acquire Infections
    4)  Rural Healthcare Needs
    6)  The Nursing Shortage

Apr. 2009 - Newsletter Issue 2

  1. 1)  Leap Frog 2008 Hospital Survey Released
    2)  Hospital Acquired Infections - CU Launches New Website
    3)  Drug Company Gifts to Doctors
    4)  ACS Statement on Medical Tourism
    5)  Hospital Readmissions are Common for Medicare

Apr. 2009 - Newsletter

  1. 1) Hospital Acquired Infections.
         -- GAO Report on How Well is the CDC doing.
         -- CDC Report on the Direct Medical Costs of HAI
         -- New Money Available to States
    2) Gram Negative Multiple Drug Resistant Bacteria
    3) Electronic Medical Records Have Serious Problems
    4) Shortage of Doctors
    5) Massachusetts Health Care Plan
    6) Hospitals to Disclose to Patients if they are Physician Owned.

Mar. 2009 - Newsletter

  1. 1) Call for Presentations & Exhibitors
    2) Healthcare Acquired Infections and Mandatory Public Reporting
    3) Non-Payment of Never Events
    4) White House's Health Care Reform Website
    5) Coronary Artery Stenting - New Indications
    6) Ear Stapling

Feb. 2009 - Newsletter

  1. 1) Call for Presentations
    2) Healthcare Acquired Infections and Mandatory Public Reporting.  KY State Cost Estimates.
    3) Update on US Health Care Spending
    4) AHRQ reports differences between Medicare Advantage and Medicare Fee-for-Service Plans
    5) Cost of Medical Malpractice
    6) Tobacco and Smoking Update

Jan. 2009 - Newsletter

Dec. 2008 - Newsletter

Nov. 2008 - Newsletter

Sep. 2008 - Newsletter -

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