<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!--Generated by Squarespace Site Server v5.11.81 (http://www.squarespace.com/) on Wed, 30 May 2012 09:45:51 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>2012-05-23T13:04:25Z</updated><generator uri="http://www.squarespace.com/" version="Squarespace Site Server v5.11.81 (http://www.squarespace.com/)">Squarespace</generator><entry><title>Medical home plus health insurance can reduce health inequities for low income adults</title><category term="IOM Aim: Equitable"/><category term="Patient Satisfaction"/><category term="The Commonwealth Fund"/><category term="Underinsured and Uninsured"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/23/medical-home-plus-health-insurance-can-reduce-health-inequit.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/23/medical-home-plus-health-insurance-can-reduce-health-inequit.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-05-23T13:02:47Z</published><updated>2012-05-23T13:02:47Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[Low income adults who were part of a medical home and had health insurance had fewer cost-related access problems, were more likely to be up-to-date with preventive screenings, and reported greater satisfaction with the quality of their care, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>Hospital volume more important than surgeon volume for some surgeries</title><category term="Henry Ford Medical Center"/><category term="Outcomes Measures"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/23/hospital-volume-more-important-than-surgeon-volume-for-some-1.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/23/hospital-volume-more-important-than-surgeon-volume-for-some-1.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-05-23T13:01:05Z</published><updated>2012-05-23T13:01:05Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[For men undergoing a radical prostatectomy (RP), hospital volume matters more than surgeon volume for 30-day complication rates, especially for older, sicker patients,  according to a press release by Henry Ford Medical Center.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>MRSA may spread from large urban hospitals to smaller regional hospitals through patients</title><category term="Healthcare-Associated Infections"/><category term="Hospital-acquired conditions"/><category term="MRSA"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/22/mrsa-may-spread-from-large-urban-hospitals-to-smaller-region.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/22/mrsa-may-spread-from-large-urban-hospitals-to-smaller-region.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-05-22T15:11:26Z</published><updated>2012-05-22T15:11:26Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found that MRSA appears to spread from large urban hospitals to small regional hospitals by patient transmission.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>Health systems take steps to improve knee replacement by learning from one another</title><category term="Collaboratives"/><category term="Coordinated Care and Patient Value"/><category term="Health Affairs"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/22/health-systems-take-steps-to-improve-knee-replacement-by-lea.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/22/health-systems-take-steps-to-improve-knee-replacement-by-lea.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-05-22T15:10:30Z</published><updated>2012-05-22T15:10:30Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[A consortium of leading U.S. health systems has found wide variation in surgery times, hospital lengths-of-stay, discharge dispositions, and in-hospital complication rates for knee replacement procedures, and is taking steps to close the gaps, according to a study in Health Affairs.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>U.S. News top hospitals cost Medicare less than the national average</title><category term="Cost of Care"/><category term="Quality Ratings"/><category term="U.S. News and World Report"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/22/us-news-top-hospitals-cost-medicare-less-than-the-national-a.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/22/us-news-top-hospitals-cost-medicare-less-than-the-national-a.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-05-22T15:04:50Z</published><updated>2012-05-22T15:04:50Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[Kaiser Health News found that the hospitals that make up the U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals” cost Medicare 1% less than the national average.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>Healthcare costs for a family of four surpasses $20,000</title><category term="Cost of Care"/><category term="Health Care Facts, Trends"/><category term="Millman Medical Index"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/16/healthcare-costs-for-a-family-of-four-surpasses-20000.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/16/healthcare-costs-for-a-family-of-four-surpasses-20000.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-05-16T17:59:37Z</published><updated>2012-05-16T17:59:37Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[Healthcare costs for a family of four are expected to surpass $20,000 for the first time, according to a new report by Milliman.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>Rising U.S. obesity rate could hinder efforts to reduce healthcare costs</title><category term="American Journal of Preventive Medicine"/><category term="Cost of Care"/><category term="Population Health"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/16/rising-us-obesity-rate-could-hinder-efforts-to-reduce-health.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/16/rising-us-obesity-rate-could-hinder-efforts-to-reduce-health.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-05-16T14:45:30Z</published><updated>2012-05-16T14:45:30Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[A new report published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine calls for intensive strategies to combat the obesity epidemic in America in order to keep healthcare costs under control.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>Access to healthcare for non-elderly adults has declined since the year 2000</title><category term="Affordable Care Act"/><category term="Cost of Care"/><category term="Health Affairs"/><category term="Health Care Facts, Trends"/><category term="Healthcare Reform"/><category term="Underinsured and Uninsured"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/16/access-to-healthcare-for-non-elderly-adults-has-declined-sin.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/16/access-to-healthcare-for-non-elderly-adults-has-declined-sin.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-05-16T14:43:25Z</published><updated>2012-05-16T14:43:25Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[Access to healthcare for non-elderly adults has declined over the past decade, according to a study in Health Affairs.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>NQF endorses surgical care and primary care quality measures</title><category term="Mortality"/><category term="National Quality Forum (NQF)"/><category term="Outcomes Measures"/><category term="Outpatient Quality Measures"/><category term="Patient Satisfaction"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/16/nqf-endorses-surgical-care-and-primary-care-quality-measures.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/16/nqf-endorses-surgical-care-and-primary-care-quality-measures.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-05-16T14:41:34Z</published><updated>2012-05-16T14:41:34Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[The National Quality Forum (NQF) has endorsed an additional nine quality measures on surgical care performed in hospitals and in outpatient facilities, and 19 quality measures related to preventive care, according to two NQF press releases.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>Patients with healthcare-associated infections may be at higher risk for readmission</title><category term="Clostridium difficile"/><category term="Healthcare-Associated Infections"/><category term="Hospital-acquired conditions"/><category term="MRSA"/><category term="Rehospitalizations and readmissions"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/16/patients-with-healthcare-associated-infections-may-be-at-hig.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/16/patients-with-healthcare-associated-infections-may-be-at-hig.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-05-16T14:30:51Z</published><updated>2012-05-16T14:30:51Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[Patients with healthcare-associated infections may be at higher risk for readmissions, according to a study in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>Patient handoff pilot reduces medical errors by 40 percent</title><category term="Children's Hospital Boston"/><category term="IOM Aim: Patient-Centered"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/7/patient-handoff-pilot-reduces-medical-errors-by-40-percent.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/7/patient-handoff-pilot-reduces-medical-errors-by-40-percent.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-05-07T15:13:13Z</published><updated>2012-05-07T15:13:13Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[Standardizing and improving the way that patient care is “handed off” during hospital shift changes can reduce medical errors by as much as 40 percent, according to a press release from Boston Children’s Hospital.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>NQF endorses two measures on unplanned readmissions</title><category term="National Quality Forum (NQF)"/><category term="Rehospitalizations and readmissions"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/7/nqf-endorses-two-measures-on-unplanned-readmissions.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/7/nqf-endorses-two-measures-on-unplanned-readmissions.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-05-07T14:56:31Z</published><updated>2012-05-07T14:56:31Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[The National Quality Forum (NQF) has endorsed two measures that address all-cause unplanned readmissions in hospital, according to a press release.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>July Hospital Compare preview reports are available on QualityNet.org</title><category term="Hospital Compare"/><category term="Outcomes Measures"/><category term="Outpatient Quality Measures"/><category term="QualityNet"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/7/july-hospital-compare-preview-reports-are-available-on-quali.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/7/july-hospital-compare-preview-reports-are-available-on-quali.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-05-07T14:22:48Z</published><updated>2012-05-07T14:22:48Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[July 2012 Hospital Compare preview reports are now available on My QualityNet for participating hospitals, according to QualityNet.org.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>Commonwealth Fund calls for government to develop a vision for improving population health</title><category term="Chronic Care"/><category term="Cost of Care"/><category term="Population Health"/><category term="The Commonwealth Fund"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/3/commonwealth-fund-calls-for-government-to-develop-a-vision-f.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/3/commonwealth-fund-calls-for-government-to-develop-a-vision-f.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-05-03T18:14:23Z</published><updated>2012-05-03T18:14:23Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[A Commonwealth Fund report calls for the federal government to develop a comprehensive, disciplined implementation plan that takes full advantage of the new opportunities provided by the Affordable Care Act, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.]]></summary></entry><entry><title>PCORI to amend Research Agenda in response to public comments</title><category term="Chronic Care"/><category term="Comparative Effectiveness"/><category term="IOM Aim: Patient-Centered"/><category term="Patient-Centered Research Institute (PCORI)"/><id>http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/3/pcori-to-amend-research-agenda-in-response-to-public-comment.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.hcqualitynews.com/home/2012/5/3/pcori-to-amend-research-agenda-in-response-to-public-comment.html"/><author><name>Jeanne Henson</name></author><published>2012-05-03T18:12:13Z</published><updated>2012-05-03T18:12:13Z</updated><summary type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Board of Governors voted to amend PCORI’s draft Research Agenda in response to public comments, according to a press release.]]></summary></entry></feed>
