<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!--Generated by Squarespace Site Server v5.11.81 (http://www.squarespace.com/) on Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:19:44 GMT--><feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"><title>Healthcare Quality News</title><subtitle>Healthcare Quality News</subtitle><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/</id><link rel="alternate" type="application/xhtml+xml" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/"/><link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/atom.xml"/><updated>2012-02-15T18:27:28Z</updated><generator uri="http://www.squarespace.com/" version="Squarespace Site Server v5.11.81 (http://www.squarespace.com/)">Squarespace</generator><entry><title>High patient satisfaction linked to increased healthcare expenditures and increased mortality rate</title><category term="Archives of Internal Medicine"/><category term="Cost of Care"/><category term="Mortality"/><category term="Patient Satisfaction"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/15/high-patient-satisfaction-linked-to-increased-healthcare-exp.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/15/high-patient-satisfaction-linked-to-increased-healthcare-exp.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-02-15T18:14:49Z</published><updated>2012-02-15T18:14:49Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[Higher patient satisfaction was associated with greater inpatient use, higher overall health care expenditures, and increased mortality, according to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>National Vaccine Advisory Committee issues flu vaccine recommendations for health care workers</title><category term="IOM Aim: Safe"/><category term="U.S. Department of Health and Human Services"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/15/national-vaccine-advisory-committee-issues-flu-vaccine-recom.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/15/national-vaccine-advisory-committee-issues-flu-vaccine-recom.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-02-15T17:00:11Z</published><updated>2012-02-15T17:00:11Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[The National Vaccine Advisory Committee has recommended that hospitals and other health care facilities that cannot achieve a 90% annual flu vaccination rate for their employees should “strongly consider” requiring employees to receive the vaccine, according to AHA News Now.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>Insurance companies may become extinct by 2020</title><category term="Accountable Care Organization (ACO)"/><category term="Healthcare Reform"/><category term="Obama"/><category term="Payment Reform"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/15/insurance-companies-may-become-extinct-by-2020.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/15/insurance-companies-may-become-extinct-by-2020.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-02-15T16:58:13Z</published><updated>2012-02-15T16:58:13Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[Two former health and public policy advisers in the Obama administration predict that by 2020, insurance companies will be replaced by Accountable Care Organizations, in an opinion article in the New York Times.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>Unemployed adults have poorer health status than employed adults</title><category term="Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)"/><category term="Cost of Care"/><category term="Health Care Facts, Trends"/><category term="Underinsured and Uninsured"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/15/unemployed-adults-have-poorer-health-status-than-employed-ad.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/15/unemployed-adults-have-poorer-health-status-than-employed-ad.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-02-15T16:55:50Z</published><updated>2012-02-15T16:55:50Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[Unemployed adults are less likely to receive medical care and fill prescriptions, and have poorer mental and physical health status, regardless of insurance coverage, compared to employed adults, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>The Commonwealth Fund releases four case studies on ACO development</title><category term="Accountable Care Organization (ACO)"/><category term="Cost of Care"/><category term="Payment Reform"/><category term="The Commonwealth Fund"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/8/the-commonwealth-fund-releases-four-case-studies-on-aco-deve.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/8/the-commonwealth-fund-releases-four-case-studies-on-aco-deve.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-02-08T14:10:38Z</published><updated>2012-02-08T14:10:38Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[The Commonwealth Fund has released a report highlighting findings and lessons from case studies of four health care organizations participating in the Brookings–Dartmouth ACO Pilot Program, launched in 2009 to support the formation accountable care organizations.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>CMS adds Central line-associated bloodstream infection rates to Hospital Compare website</title><category term="Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services (CMS)"/><category term="Healthcare-Associated Infections"/><category term="Hospital Compare"/><category term="Hospital-acquired conditions"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/8/cms-adds-central-line-associated-bloodstream-infection-rates.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/8/cms-adds-central-line-associated-bloodstream-infection-rates.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-02-08T14:01:43Z</published><updated>2012-02-08T14:01:43Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has added central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) in hospital ICUs to its Hospital Compare website, according to a press release.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>Institute of Medicine report examines ways to reduce chronic illness</title><category term="Chronic Care"/><category term="Institute of Medicine (IOM)"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/8/institute-of-medicine-report-examines-ways-to-reduce-chronic.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/8/institute-of-medicine-report-examines-ways-to-reduce-chronic.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-02-08T14:00:41Z</published><updated>2012-02-08T14:00:41Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[A new report from the Institute of Medicine recommends that in order to better treat and prevent chronic disease in the U.S., collaboration among the public health, health care, and community sectors is needed.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>New cancer therapies unaffordable to many</title><category term="Condition: Colorectal Cancer"/><category term="Cost of Care"/><category term="National Cancer Institute"/><category term="Oncology"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/8/new-cancer-therapies-unaffordable-to-many.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/8/new-cancer-therapies-unaffordable-to-many.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-02-08T13:55:05Z</published><updated>2012-02-08T13:55:05Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[While many new cancer therapies can prolong life or have fewer toxic side effects than older drugs, many patients are unable to afford them, according to an article in the Fiscal Times.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>AHRQ releases free toolkit to help hospitals improve care</title><category term="Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)"/><category term="Quality Improvement Methods"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/2/ahrq-releases-free-toolkit-to-help-hospitals-improve-care.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/2/ahrq-releases-free-toolkit-to-help-hospitals-improve-care.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-02-02T18:26:09Z</published><updated>2012-02-02T18:26:09Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released  a free toolkit to help hospitals use the AHRQ Inpatient Quality Indicators  and Patient Safety Indicators to improve care, according to a press release.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>Tennessee Hospital Collaborative improves surgical outcomes, reduces cost</title><category term="Cost of Care"/><category term="National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP)"/><category term="Quality Improvement Methods"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/2/tennessee-hospital-collaborative-improves-surgical-outcomes.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/2/tennessee-hospital-collaborative-improves-surgical-outcomes.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-02-02T18:24:22Z</published><updated>2012-02-02T18:24:22Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[Ten hospitals in Tennessee who joined together to and used the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) system to share surgical process and outcomes data were able to improve surgical outcomes and reduce cost, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>CMS to hold a Provider Call to discuss quality measures and value-based purchasing</title><category term="CMS Value Based Purchasing"/><category term="Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services (CMS)"/><category term="Outpatient Quality Measures"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/2/cms-to-hold-a-provider-call-to-discuss-quality-measures-and.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/2/cms-to-hold-a-provider-call-to-discuss-quality-measures-and.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-02-02T18:22:04Z</published><updated>2012-02-02T18:22:04Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will hold a National Provider Call on Feb. 28 from 1:30-3 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss some of the new quality measures that will be posted to Hospital Compare in 2012 and Value-Based Purchasing, according to AHA News Now.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>PCORI seeks public input on research agenda</title><category term="Comparative Effectiveness"/><category term="Outcomes Measures"/><category term="Patient-Centered Research Institute (PCORI)"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/2/pcori-seeks-public-input-on-research-agenda.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/2/pcori-seeks-public-input-on-research-agenda.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-02-02T18:19:49Z</published><updated>2012-02-02T18:19:49Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[As part of the healthcare reform law, The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), a panel of experts working to compares medical procedures to see which are more effective, is seeking public input on a draft research agenda, according to TheHill.com.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>Five percent of the population accounts for fifty percent of healthcare spending</title><category term="Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)"/><category term="Cost of Care"/><category term="Health Care Facts, Trends"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/2/five-percent-of-the-population-accounts-for-fifty-percent-of.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/2/five-percent-of-the-population-accounts-for-fifty-percent-of.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-02-02T18:15:35Z</published><updated>2012-02-02T18:15:35Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[Five percent of the population accounted for fifty percent of healthcare spending in the U.S. in 2009, according to a report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>Thomson Reuters releases fourth annual list of top U.S. health systems</title><category term="Quality Ratings"/><category term="Thomson REuters"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/2/thomson-reuters-releases-fourth-annual-list-of-top-us-health.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/2/2/thomson-reuters-releases-fourth-annual-list-of-top-us-health.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-02-02T18:09:30Z</published><updated>2012-02-02T18:09:30Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[Thomson Reuters has released its fourth annual list of the top U.S. health systems based quality, patient satisfaction, and efficiency, according to a press release.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>U.S. Obesity rates unchanged since 2007-2008</title><category term="Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)"/><category term="Chronic Care"/><category term="Population Health"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/1/23/us-obesity-rates-unchanged-since-2007-2008.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/1/23/us-obesity-rates-unchanged-since-2007-2008.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-01-23T21:09:18Z</published><updated>2012-01-23T21:09:18Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[There was no change in obesity rates among U.S. adults or children from 2007–2008 to 2009–2010, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.]]></summary></entry></feed>
