Hospitals

First results from hospital trials testing

harminka — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:12:31 -0500

The first stage of the U.S. Department of Defense-funded clinical trials exploring the role of hospital touch surfaces in the transmission of infectious pathogens has been completed and the researchers reported their findings in a poster session at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, October 28.

IT outsourcing could benefit rural hospitals

harminka — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:54:08 -0500

Patients expect the most up-to-date equipment and technology at hospitals, regardless of the institution's size or budget. Providing that technology, however, can be difficult for small, rural hospitals that often lack the budget and staffing to make it possible.

Hospital rankings, More than meets the eye

harminka — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:33:29 -0500

Medicare's pay-for-performance program ranks and rewards hospitals according to how well they meet certain guidelines for clinical care. But researchers at Duke Clinical Research Institute say the program penalizes hospitals that care for the greatest numbers of the poor and needy by not taking into account their greater clinical burden.

Hospital Patients are Discharged Earlier on Busier Days

harminka — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 08:05:19 -0500

When a hospital is capacity constrained, the constraint can affect admission and discharge decisions. A new study in the RAND Journal of Economics examined how hospitals' admission and discharge behavior is affected by fluctuations in demand.

Dead body left in UK hospital alongside living patients for seven hours

admin_huliq — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:05:59 -0500

A dead body was left in a ward in Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland for seven hours before it was removed.

Taking action against hospital acquired infection

harminka — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:44:10 -0500

Patients enter hospitals every day for a variety of reasons but usually without the thought of developing a new health problem. Yet every year thousands of hospitalized Americans acquire infections during hospital stays, causing risk of complications, prolonged stays and an increased burden on the health-care system.

When spirit moves into the hospital

harminka — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:02:14 -0500

Despite changes over the last fifteen years in national accreditation guidelines making the religious and spiritual care of hospitalized patients a right, there is no evidence yet that this protection has had any effect on the number of hospitals with chaplains.

AMA boss slams super clinic scheme

admin_huliq — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:02:15 -0500

The Australian Medical Association has attacked the workability of proposed super clinics as a myth that could lead to misdiagnosis in patients.

Shop Around for Hospitals As Medicare Patients Rate Them

admin_huliq — Wed, 21 May 2008 07:38:58 -0500

Rating the quality of hospital care has become all the rage, despite the risk of consumers not really understanding what the ratings mean. Now www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov has detailed hospital rating information for comparison.

National Healthcare Decisions Day in Georgia

seher — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:08:12 -0500

The Coliseum hospital in Macon is participating in recognizing today as National Healthcare Decisions Day, and it is providing information for people to give advance directives to let their wishes be known regarding health-care decisions in a crisis.

" Distinguished Hospital for Patient Safety"

seher — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:11:34 -0500

Lawton Comanche County Memorial Hospital was named a 2008 " Distinguished Hospital for Patient Safety," according to the fifth annual HealthGrades Patient Safety in American Hospitals Study.

Private hospitals 'poaching doctors' in Australia

seher — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:20:05 -0500

Doctors have warned an inquiry that public hospitals will soon face crippling staff shortages in some sectors because private hospitals are poaching experienced doctors.