On December 22, 2011, The Seattle Times published an article, titled “Medical; Patients, Doctors Differ on High-Quality Care,” about patient-centered medical homes. Although a survey on the satisfaction of patients showed that they were generally satisfied with their physicians, a recent study conducted by the Health Service Research Journal reported…
A new Medicare program is aimed at reducing medical costs, while improving quality of care for the elderly, The Arizona Republic reported on December 20, 2011. Instead of paying doctors after each patient visit, the new health initiative gives health providers a budget within which they must work. The only…
On December 14, 2011, Modern Healthcare reported the dangers of extended hours and long shifts in healthcare facilities. While the correlation between exhaustion and increased error may seem obvious, many nurses have difficulty accepting this truth and determining the point at which their fatigue may lead to fatal consequences. The…
On December 14, 2011, Modern Healthcare reported that the Department of Health and Human Services is implementing an incentive program to award up to $216 million to health agencies in an attempt to reduce preventable injuries. Despite the honorable intentions of the program, the truth of the matter is that…
On December 11, 2011, the Detroit Free Press published a series of articles investigating nursing home neglect. The first article, titled “Nursing Homes with Good Staff, Stopgaps Can Still Fail”, reports the accidental death of a man as a direct result of nursing home neglect. After having an accident, James…
On December 11, 2011, the Associated Press reported that three nurses were convicted of tampering with their patient’s drugs. All three nurses had been previously convicted of various drug-related crimes and yet were still able to secure jobs at skilled nursing facilities. One nurse, previously convicted for forging prescriptions, was…
The prevalence of diabetes is increasing exponentially in the American population. In nursing homes alone, it has been found that 20 percent of adults between the ages of sixty-five and seventy-five suffer from diabetes, and that 40 percent of adults over the age of eighty suffer from this common illness.…
On December 6, <a href="http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20111206/NEWS/312069976/leapfrog-recognizes-top-performing-hospitals# reported that Leapfrog Group>Modern Healthcare has recognized the 65 top hospitals of 2011. It is a great honor to receive Leapfrog Group’s “Top Hospital” award, as it is considered to be the most competitive hospital quality award in the country. The survey was based on…
On November 30, 2011, the Associated Press and Bloomberg news both reported that Medicare money was being used to improperly prescribe antipsychotics to nursing home patients. These drugs, which include AstraZeneca Plc (AZN) and Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY), are used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. However, they are…
On November 30, 2011, the American Academy of Neurology reported in its online journal Neurology an advancement in scientific knowledge that will help elderly adults universally. Prior to this study, doctors used an FDG marker to detect any changes in the brain’s metabolism that could signify either Alzheimer’s or a…