February 26, 2015 |  0
I came to hospital medicine from the land of pulmonary/critical care. I had spent ten years dealing with septic shock, respiratory failure and acute renal failure. I had intubated, withdrawn life support, placed central lines, performed thoracenteses, and even placed a couple of chest tubes. I had changed tracheostomy tubes, I ran codes. In short […]
By Guest Post
February 25, 2015 |  0
by Dr. Charlie Reznikoff, MD A few months ago while attending the general medical floor I met a 60-year-old patient in a tragic situation. She was holding her household together — cooking for, cleaning up after, and parenting her granddaughters, managing the family finances, and trying to reform her two twenty-something daughters who preferred partying […]
February 24, 2015 |  0
The recent increase in observation stays has led to a surge in federal oversight and scrutiny.  We have covered the dispute on the blog before. And yes, as the facilitators of the process, the recovery audit contractors (RACs) continue to receive the lion’s share of critical attention—especially with congress. In our attempts to resolve  the issue of appropriate in versus […]
February 23, 2015 |  0
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a bold new goal to rapidly enhance the adoption of value-based reimbursement for all payors in the medical industry. The Medicare goal is to tie 30% of payments to ACOs or bundled payments by the end of 2016 and 50% by the end of 2018. HHS […]
February 23, 2015 |  10
The story of Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger – the “Miracle on the Hudson” pilot – is a modern American legend. I’ve gotten to know Captain Sullenberger over the past several years, and he is a warm, caring, and thoughtful person who saw, in the aftermath of his feat, an opportunity to promote safety in many industries, […]
February 22, 2015 |  0
  Modern Healthcare has a nice piece out today examining the state of hospital growth and consolidation: Many hospitals across the country are reaching a crossroads. The median age of U.S. hospital buildings is rising, and new construction has dropped sharply, with capital going toward ambulatory-care facilities, physician hiring, information technology and telehealth. Mobile-health apps […]