Volume 2
VHIG Digest: Volume 2, No. 8
May. 3, 2011—By Richard J. Clews, 2012, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing In the News… 1. XX-ray: when enough is enough – April 12, 2011 State investigators in New York have found that some X-rays performed at SUNY are still over radiating premature babies after initial reports from the hospital indicated that they had corrected the indiscretion of performing...
VHIG Digest: Volume 2, No. 7
Apr. 19, 2011—By Kate Gurba, MSTP ’13 In the News… 1. Study finds drop in deadly V.A. hospital infections- 4/13/11 Two articles in the New England Journal of Medicine examined the clinical and financial efficacy of efforts to reduce hospital-acquired infections. Over a span of 32 months, Veterans Affairs hospitals nationwide reduced methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections by...
VHIG Digest: Volume 2, No. 6
Apr. 5, 2011—By Mike Miles, OGSM (MBA 2012) In the News… 1. Rules Aim to Reshape Medical Practices – WSJ 4/1/2011 The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) this week released a 429-page document covering the rules for accountable care organizations, how they will share risk with CMS, and how they must report quality of care....
VHIG Digest: Volume 2, No. 5
Mar. 28, 2011—by Natalie Ausborn, VMS II In the News 1. ICU Central-line Infections Drop Dramatically Nationwide – 3/14/11 The Center for Disease Control and Prevention released a report indicating that U.S. intensive care units reduced central line-associated bloodstream infections by approximately 60% over the past ten years, with an estimate of 27,000 lives saved and $1.8 billion...
VHIG Digest: Volume 2, No. 4
Mar. 14, 2011—By Jake McClure, VMS II In the News 1. Wall Street Journal Reports Almost 5% of Americans Report Falling Asleep at the Wheel A March 3rd article in the Wall Street Journal reported a scary statistic regarding Americans and their tendency to fall asleep while driving at the wheel. Based on numbers released by theCDC, of the 74,571 Americans surveyed, 4.7%...
VHIG Digest: Volume 2, No. 3
Feb. 22, 2011—By Janice Babbs, OGSM II In the News 1. HealthGrades Releases List of Top 50 Cities for Hospital Care HealthGrades, a leading independent healthcare ratings organization, released the first-ever list of America’s Top 50 Cities for hospital care. The rankings are based on a comprehensive study of patient death and complication rates at the nation’s nearly 5,000 hospitals. HealthGradesidentified those...
VHIG Digest: Volume 2, No. 2
Jan. 24, 2011—By Julie McNeil, OGSM II In the News 1. U.S. House of Representatives Repeals PPACA On Wednesday, January 19, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 245 to 189 to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), voting on party lines. Three Democrats joined the unanimous Republican vote: Dan Boren (D-OK), Mike McIntyre (D-NC), and Mike...
VHIG Digest: Volume 2, No. 1
Jan. 10, 2011—1. Wall Street Journal investigates controversy over rates of spinal fusion surgery A December 20th article in the Wall Street Journal reported on an unusually high rate of spinal fusion surgeries at Norton Hospital in Louisville, Ky. Five spinal surgeons there contributed to giving Norton the distinction of having the third-highest rate of spinal fusion surgeries of any U.S. hospital. Central to this controversy is that in 2010 these surgeons received over $7 million from Medtronic, Inc, the manufacturer of the spinal fusion device the surgeons used.Spinal fusion surgery, which involves fusing 2 or more vertebrae in patients with significant back pain, is a particularly controversial operation due to limited evidence of its effectiveness, especially as an indication for patients with degenerative disk disease. The article touches on the problem of financial incentives and the extent to which they affect volume of procedures.