Tag: healthcare costs

Who’s Responsible for Keeping Healthcare Costs Down?

A recent HealthDay/Harris Poll found that most “Americans now support aggressive regulation to keep health care costs in check — including price caps on drugs, medical devices and payments to doctors and hospitals”.

Christopher P. Molineaux, president and CEO of Pennsylvania Bio, in an opinion piece for Penn Live says that the healthcare insurance system may be a driving force behind costly hospitalizations, emergency room visits and expensive medical procedures, which, coupled with restricted access to treatments, can lead to adherence issues, which leads to reliance on acute care.

Continue reading “Who’s Responsible for Keeping Healthcare Costs Down?” →

What Puts More Than Half a Million Lives at Risk Each Year and Costs the US Healthcare System $7.8 Billion Annually?

Join the newest Physician-Patient Alliance Initiative to Reduce the Risk of Respiratory Compromise and Save Lives. By simply signifying your support for reducing the risk of Respiratory Compromise and for saving the lives of patients, you can help ensure changes are made. Continue reading “What Puts More Than Half a Million Lives at Risk Each Year and Costs the US Healthcare System $7.8 Billion Annually?” →

Clinical tip: Completely preventable problems cost an average-sized hospital millions per year

By Lynn Razzano RN, MSN, ONCC (Clinical Nurse Consultant)

That’s the bottom line of a report from the Healthcare Management Council (HMC). HMC analyzed federal data to identify the most common hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) as well as their annual cost per patient and the annual average cost to hospitals. Continue reading “Clinical tip: Completely preventable problems cost an average-sized hospital millions per year” →

INFOGRAPHIC: First National Survey of Patient-Controlled Analgesia Practices

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New National Survey Finds Patient Safety at Risk Because of Lack of Consistency in Hospital Patient-Controlled Analgesia Practices

Inconsistency in safe practices most likely accounts for large proportion of adverse events and deaths associated with PCA use, says Physician-Patient Alliance for Health and Safety.

The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health and Safety today released the results from a national survey of United States hospitals on the administration of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). Continue reading “New National Survey Finds Patient Safety at Risk Because of Lack of Consistency in Hospital Patient-Controlled Analgesia Practices” →

5 Resources on the Costs of Adverse Events

by Sean Power

Patient safety advocates at hospitals sometimes face roadblocks when introducing new safety measures. One approach to overcome these obstacles involves looking at the financial costs absorbed when things go wrong.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This article explores the legal costs associated with adverse events and ways to minimize unnecessary expenses. Continue reading “5 Resources on the Costs of Adverse Events” →

Improving Patient Safety in Hospitals: Can Hospitals Afford to Give Away Money? So Why Do Preventable Adverse Events Still Occur in Hospitals?

by Michael Wong

This is the question that I posed to lawyers, insurers, and healthcare professionals attending a major healthcare conference, the Crittenden Medical Conference. Continue reading “Improving Patient Safety in Hospitals: Can Hospitals Afford to Give Away Money? So Why Do Preventable Adverse Events Still Occur in Hospitals?” →

Improving Hospital Efficiency and Patient Safety: Bedside Monitoring with Capnography Achieves Better Management of Surgical Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

by Michael Wong

Like many hospitals in North America, Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) in British Columbia was challenged with providing safe and appropriate perioperative and postoperative management of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). KGH is a 345-bed tertiary hospital in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. Continue reading “Improving Hospital Efficiency and Patient Safety: Bedside Monitoring with Capnography Achieves Better Management of Surgical Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea” →

Reducing Healthcare Costs: How One Hospital Minimized Blood Draws and Laboratory Tests While Increasing Patient Safety

by Michael Wong

According to study recently published in Anesthesiology News, Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health spent about $112,000 and saved $985,130 over a six month period. Dr. Courtney Rowan, pediatric critical care fellow at Riley Hospital, was looking at blood gas measurements.

Continue reading “Reducing Healthcare Costs: How One Hospital Minimized Blood Draws and Laboratory Tests While Increasing Patient Safety” →