This January 31, 2017 JAMA Viewpoint article examines whether Hemoglobin A1c should be used as an outcome (quality) measure Type 2 diabetes and its complications are one of the most expensive issues facing U.S. healthcare. An obvious goal is to reduce the number and scope of diabetic complications which should in return improve diabetic’s quality and likely longevity. The… Read More
A January 22, 2017 JAMA article examined the readmission rate and costs of patients discharged with a diagnosis of sepsis. The study examined the 30-day readmission rates. Currently, CMS tracks readmissions following index hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and pneumonia Although previously unstudied, the authors hypothesized that… Read More
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is partnering with a national suicide prevention organization, called the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The subject of suicide is a sensitive one, especially among gun rights advocates. And while many gun owners recognize the problem — that some two-thirds of all firearms deaths are self-inflicted — they are… Read More
A Perspective article from The New England Journal of Medicine — Days Spent at Home — A Patient-Centered Goal and Outcome This study suggests we should consider days at home as a quality measure rather then readmissions. Post measures of the quality of health care delivery focus on what health care providers do, not what… Read More
The Kaiser Family Foundation website looks at where the healthcare dollar goes. Apparently $2.3 trillion was spent on healthcare in 2010 Hospital care—31 percent Physician/clinical services—20 percent Retail Rx drugs—10 percent Net cost of health insurance—6 percent Investment—6 percent Other health, residential, and personal care—8 percent Other professional services—7 percent Nursing home care—5 percent Home… Read More
This article looks at the steep escalation of Pharma drugs The CMS on Wednesday released data on the price history of 5,000 prescription drugs over five years, shedding light on the fastest rising source of healthcare costs in recent years. The drug with the biggest rise in cost per unit in Medicare Part D from… Read More
This Viewpoint discusses the apparent association between a reduction of psychiatric beds and increasing suicide rates in the United States, and proposes an expansion of inpatient psychiatric treatment facilities as a component of a national suicide prevention strategy. Source: Decline in Psychiatric Beds and Increase in US Suicide Rates | Psychiatry | JAMA | The… Read More
A January 10, 2017 JAMA Viewpoint article looks at Altmetrics. The article makes note that there are over 2.5 million articles published every year and the number of articles in the literature more than doubles every decade. Clearly differentiating the relevant from the irrelevant is crucial. Typically, the influence of a published article would primarily… Read More
This quick JAMA infographic from December 13, 2016 looks at firearm deaths in the United States and globally from 1990 to 2015. The burden of firearms—excluding self-harm and accidental deaths—for the top 5 countries by GDP, global deaths per 100,000 people, the relationship of firearm death rates to Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintiles, and the distribution… Read More
You must be logged in to post a comment.