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A study in JAMA Internal Medicine found CMS policy changes resulted in 44.1% of teaching hospitals and 43.7% of rural hospitals receiving a lower readmission penalty this year compared with last year. The changes were made in response to complaints by safety-net hospitals that their penalties were unfair because they had a more complex mix of patients. Becker's Hospital Review (4/16)
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CMS Administrator Seema Verma said the agency will perform a comprehensive review of regulations, internal structure, processes and guidelines governing safety and quality of care in nursing homes. The goal of the initiative is to improve oversight, regulatory enforcement, transparency and quality of care in nursing homes, while reducing providers' administrative burden, Verma said. HealthLeaders Media (4/16)
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An analysis of data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey showed emergency department visits in rural areas climbed at a faster rate than in urban areas from 2005 to 2016, with rural EDs serving a bigger portion of disadvantaged populations over time. Writing in JAMA Network Open, the authors said their findings "may reflect a deteriorating primary care infrastructure, greater fragmentation of care, and worsening disparities for several traditionally disadvantaged groups, including those with Medicaid and those without insurance." Becker's Hospital CFO Report (4/16)
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Accountable care organizations responding to a survey said they manage care for patients with high needs and high costs using a combination of approaches, but many do not differentiate between high-risk and HNHC patients and may be overlooking patients who would benefit from interventions. The respondents said obstacles include a lack of funding, information technology resources and actionable data; low patient engagement; resistance by health care providers; problems measuring program effectiveness and scaling programs across an enterprise; and staff recruitment challenges. Health Affairs Blog (4/11)
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Survey data from US adults taken before and after the federal Open Payments database began found a 2.7% decrease in patients' trust in their physician after the launch, even when their physician hadn't received any industry payments, researchers reported in JAMA Network Open. The analysis showed a 2.2% decrease in trust in the medical profession overall. Medscape (free registration) (4/16)
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Researchers analyzed the activities of 80 internal medicine interns from March 10 to May 31, 2016, and found that the interns spent more than 43% of their average time in a 24-hour period using EHRs and little time on direct patient care or educational activities. The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that while interns were conducting indirect patient care activities over a 24-hour period, 28% of all educational activities and 23% of all direct patient care happened at the same time. EHR Intelligence (4/16)
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Becker's Hospital CFO Report (4/16)
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