2.10.2006

Top Hospitals Pull Away from the Pack
The top 5% of U.S. hospitals are pulling away from the pack in terms of improvements in risk-adjusted patient mortality and complication rates from the period of 2002 to 2004. If the quality of care at all U.S. hospitals matched the level of hospitals in the top 5 percent, 152,966 lives could have been saved and 21,896 complications could have been avoided over the three years. Go to a top 5% hospital and your risk of death plummets 27%. Check out the full HealthGrades report here (PDF).

HSAs HSAs HSAs
Bush barely mentioned healthcare in his SOTU, but when he did, he mentioned the importance of HSAs. Apparently, HSAs have tripled to reach 3 million, according to AHIP. But, a GAO report (PDF) eluded to a disturbing trend: HSAs attract younger, richer enrollees, leaving the poorer, older folks with traditional plans w/ a potentially growing tab. The Washington Post also emphasized that HSAs don't reduce risk, they just shift it (to us).

CHDP and P4P
Do you think your doctor should get a bonus if you quit smoking? That question and many like it were some that were addressed at the 1st P4P Summit in Cally.

Back over in NJ, 100+ hospital execs converged at Hackensack University Medical Center, a P4P top performer, to see how they excelled in 5 areas: heart attack, open heart surgery, heart failure, pneumonia and hip/knee replacement.

Healthwise also came out with their 12 ways to tame the healthcare jungle out there (reg req) this week - I don't know how many people will download this, but those that do will definitely be more informed and empowered (and hopefully not too entitled).

The HIT List
Healthcare technology continues to make headlines as well. Apparently, healthcare IT pays off in hospitals, according to a FSU study. And according to a McKinsey Study (reg req) on the financial service sector, the quality of an organization's IT is proportional to how good your internal IT team is (NOT how much you spend on IT). Philips also envisioned hospitals in 2015 with RFID. And by the way, feel free to use cell phones in hospital - it actually might increase patient safety.

Healthcare: Coming to a grocery store and theater(?) near you
CNN reported that more and more health clinics popping up in grocery stores, including some clinics which received some investment from Steve Case. And speaking of media moguls, don't forget to look for a hospital-bashing movie by Michael Moore, coming to a theater near you. Well, maybe not quite yet, but he is asking people to send their worst hospital horror stories.

Finally, for a change, let's end on a high note: Cancer deaths are down for the first time ever recorded in 70 years. Well, mortality rates have been dropping for a decade, but this is the 1st year that it dropped enough to outdo population growth trends.