Physicians and healthcare organizations that were on the fence about participating in an accountable care organization (ACO) may want to take a second look. In October 2011, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final rule on ACOs, which has fewer...
In an effort to cut $33 million from its budget, Washington state has recently passed a law that limits Medicaid patients to three non-emergent ED visits per year. It will not cover visits beyond the initial three, even if the visit constitutes a true emergency. To determine...
There was a time when medical staff standards seemed simpler and they were all located in one place: the Medical Staff chapter of The Joint Commission's Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals (CAMH). But things are different today. Standards that apply to the...
Over the past several years, healthcare quality has come under increased scrutiny. In 2001, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) report Crossing the Quality Chasm highlighted the lack of consistency in the quality of care in the American healthcare system. The IOM report showed...
The Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 (HCQIA) was created to provide immunity from monetary damages to hospitals and individual practitioners participating on medical peer review committees. HCQIA also created the National Practitioner Data Bank.
Although patient safety organizations (PSO) have been around for a couple of years, for many medical staffs, questions still linger. Hospitals aren't required to participate in a PSO, but many are considering doing so to reap the legal protections that PSOs offer.