Do Concerns About Costs Impact ICU Care?

Findings in a new study suggest that financial considerations can shape care of ICU patients. Increased prevalence of cost discussions were found in patient notes the longer the hospital stay of a patient in the ICU and when there was a change in treatment or discharge plans. Read more

93% of participants earned a MIPS bonus payment this year. (But it could be harder next year)

CMS Administrator Seema Verma recently announced that 93% of clinicians eligible to participate in MACRA's Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) received a bonus payment for the 2017 performance year. Read more 

Leapfrog Adds Medication Error Measure To Hospital Patient Safety Grades

In their Fall 2018 edition of their Safety Grade report, The Leapfrog Group added a new measure to assign hospitals patient safety grades that assesses how well they prevent and identify medication errors via barcodes on medications and the patient's wrist. Read more

Health Affairs Theme Issue Spotlights Patient Safety Efforts

The November issue of Health Affairs includes articles and studies focused on opportunities to improve patient safety; for example, how hospital work environments can affect outcomes and how patient experiences can help reduce diagnostic errors. Read more