The Joint Commission is seeking input on proposed changes to its diagnostic imaging requirements for the ambulatory care, critical access hospital, and hospital accreditation programs. The requirements need to be enhanced to address quality- and safety-related issues associated with diagnostic...
Medical malpractice has been singled out by many as the top culprit for rising healthcare costs. However, medical malpractice payments made on behalf of physicians hit a record low in 2012, a Public Citizen Foundation report has found. In the report, “No Correlation: Continued Decrease in...
Medicare will levy $227 million in fines against hospitals nationwide for the second round of the government’s campaign to reduce the number of patients readmitted within a month, according to federal records released last week. Medicare identified 2,225 hospitals that will have payments reduced...
A veteran nurse present during a botched kidney transplant the University of Toledo Medical Center, in Toledo, Ohio, last summer has sued for wrongful termination. The lawsuit filed last week in Columbus seeks $25,000 for Melanie LeMay, a nurse suspended then fired after a different nurse...
The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) last week released a joint paper that advocates for physician-led, team-based care, while defining the critical roles physician assistants (PAs) and physicians play in improving access to high-...