Much Variation Exists on the Use of Intravenous Devices in Hospitals
There is a lot of variation when it comes to the use of intravenous devices called peripherally inserted central catheters, or PICCs.
There is a lot of variation when it comes to the use of intravenous devices called peripherally inserted central catheters, or PICCs.
‘The differences in mortality and readmission rates were small in Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals, which indicates that the VA health care system is doing comparatively well for patients.’
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"There has recently been a lot of discussion around the VA health system, but there was limited knowledge about comparative hospital performance between VA and non-VA hospitals regarding important outcomes of care," said first author Sudhakar V. Nuti, a first-year student at Yale School of Medicine. "Given how important veterans are to our country, we wanted to investigate how well we are caring for them when they are sick and vulnerable. Overall, the differences in mortality and readmission rates were small, which indicates that the VA health care system is doing comparatively well for patients hospitalized with these common medical conditions." Nuti and his colleagues used National Quality Forum-endorsed measures to compare mortality and readmission rates between male Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries age 65 years or older hospitalized in VA and non-VA hospitals for three common medical conditions. Since geographic differences could account for differences in performance, they also studied hospitals in similar geographic areas.
"Although there is room for improvement given the variation in performance found across both hospital systems, the results of this study should be reassuring to veterans and the general public regarding the quality of care in VA hospitals for key medical conditions," said senior author Harlan Krumholz, the Harold H. Hines Jr. Professor of Medicine, professor of investigative medicine and of public health, and co-director of the Clinical Scholars Program. "It will remain critical to continue to monitor these outcome metrics and target low-performing hospitals for improvement," Krumholz added.
Worms, Fungus in Cough Medicine at Government Hospital in Bhopal
The health department ordered an enquiry into a complaint that a cough medicine dispensed by a government hospital had worms and fungus in it.
The health department ordered an enquiry into a complaint that a cough medicine dispensed by a government hospital had worms and fungus in it.
Social Determinants of Health Attributed to Readmission Penalities At Pediatric Hospitals
Race, ethnicity, public insurance and median household income are predictors of higher risk of pediatric readmission.
Race, ethnicity, public insurance and median household income are predictors of higher risk of pediatric readmission.
Feeling Older Than Peers Increases the Risk of Hospitalization
People who feel older than their peers are more likely to be hospitalized as they age, regardless of their actual age or other demographic factors.
People who feel older than their peers are more likely to be hospitalized as they age, regardless of their actual age or other demographic factors.
