If health plans stay unchanged, PwC sees medical costs rising by 6.8 percent in 2015 Health costs will accelerate next year, but changes in how people buy care will help keep them from attaining the speed of several years ago, PricewaterhouseCoopers says in a new report. The prediction, based on interviews and modeling, splits the […]
Read MorePublished in Anaesth Intensive Care. 2014 May;42(3):365-70. Authors: Ogurlu M et al Abstract There is some evidence that propofol may reduce acute postoperative pain; however, the results are inconsistent. Furthermore, there is a paucity of information about the type of anaesthesia and chronic pain. This study was designed to evaluate the hypothesis that propofol reduces […]
Read MorePublished in Allergy. 2014 Jul;69(7):954-9 Authors: Reitter M et al BACKGROUND: Anaphylactic reactions to neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) can be severe and even fatal. Our aim was to evaluate mortality rate in France from anaphylactic reactions to NMBAs, to identify risk factors for a fatal outcome, and to describe management of the cases that proved […]
Read MoreAuthors: Horowitz R et al., Ann Emerg Med 2014 Jan 17; Injecting agitated saline into a femoral venous line while sonographically imaging the heart confirms the line’s location. Accidental placement of a femoral venous catheter into the artery can cause limb ischemia, especially in children, who have small femoral arteries. Investigators assessed ability of the […]
Read MoreThe HHS Office of Inspector General released a report finding Medicare inappropriately paid $6.7 billion for evaluation and management services claims in 2010. Here are 10 key things to know about E/M services, their coding and documentation requirements, and the improper Medicare payments. 1. E/M services are covered under Medicare Part B and are performed […]
Read MoreNew study sheds light on day-to-day practice versus guidelines, with variations in practice related to indications, the duration of conservative treatment before initiating injections, and the time between injections. There are several evidence-based (EB) guidelines that address the use of epidural injections for the treatment of low back pain. But how influential are these guidelines […]
Read MoreBundled payments are becoming an increasingly popular form of reimbursement, but payers must evolve their operations and infrastructure if they want bundled payments to reach mainstream implementation, according to a new study from the Healthcare Incentives Improvement Institute. “With the adoption of bundled payment methodologies by major public payers and with the efforts by commercial […]
Read MoreAn investigational drug reduces constipation among patients taking opioids for noncancer pain, according to two phase-III, industry-funded studies reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. The trials, conducted in the U.S. and Europe, together enrolled nearly 1400 adults who had been taking an oral opioid for noncancer pain for at least 4 weeks and […]
Read MoreHospitals and other healthcare organizations need to do a lot more than what they’re currently doing to guard against drug diverters and catch them before they harm patients and themselves. Federal health officials have sounded an alarm this week about a group of healthcare workers who are surely harming patients somewhere this very minute, engaging […]
Read MoreErrors slow productivity and frustrate everyone. So it’s tempting to chastise or quickly terminate employees who repeatedly make mistakes. But don’t be so quick with that trigger finger. Employees make slip-ups for different reasons—miscommunication, carelessness, lack of training, unfamiliarity with the process and more. Good management means finding out why mistakes occur. First, determine the […]
Read More