November 26, 2013-Hospitals getting better at preventing MRSA

Provider Advisory Weekly Top Stories

1. Hospitals getting better at preventing MRSA
2. Analysis of huge data sets will reshape health care
3. Feds: DSHS neglected disabled to cut costs, may owe $16M
4. Beth Israel Deaconess CIO Dr. John Halamka on Learning From Mistakes
5. Chuck Lauer: A Tale of Selfless Giving
6. Conemaugh exploring its options
7. Hawai‘i Health Connector Announces Leadership Transition Tom Matsuda Named Interim Executive Director

Severe MRSA infections have decreased by 54.2% in U.S. hospitals since 2005, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggesting efforts to combat the deadly superbug are working. MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a type of staph infection. While about one in three people carry staph on their skin, usually without getting sick, studies show approximately two in 100 people carry MRSA. MRSA is called a “superbug” because it is one of the bacterial infections that has developed… CNN   (11/25)  Share: Forward | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIN

Insurers will soon reassess how they predict costs; patients will let doctors know what medications won’t work with their particular genomes; and researchers will look at hospital records in real time to determine the cheapest, most effective ways to treat patients all because of developments in what is known as big data. Driven by industry trends and the Affordable Care Act, the analysis of large sets of data, such as medication usage or hospital readmissions, has enabled health care providers and policymakers to make smarter decisions… USAToday   (11/24)  Share: Forward | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIN

In an attempt to savemoney, Washington state has been illegally denying needed services to two dozen developmentally disabled residents for more than two years, according to a recently completed federal review. The move was meant to savemore than $1 million. But breaking the law may cost the state $16 million and may have done irreparabledamage to the residents, advocates say. The review found the Department of Socialand Health Services (DSHS) broke the law at least 41,231 times by deciding in 2011 to take away services such… SeattlesTimes   (11/22)  Share: Forward | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIN

Dr. John Halamka on his 15-year tenure at BIDMC, learning from mistakes and the silver lining in the troubled HealthCare.gov rollout. When John D. Halamka, MD, started as CIO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston in 1998, technology was “mysterious.” His jobas CIO, then, was to demystify and harness available technology to begin to automate certain processes and develop necessary infrastructures and IT networks. Under his leadership, BIDMC became an early tech adopter, implementing an electronic healthrecord… beckershospitalreview.com   (11/25)  Share: Forward | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIN

People have a great capacity for goodness. We’ve all seen it: Neighbors coming to the rescue of a down-on-theirluck family whose house has burned down, helping them rebuild. A man picking up the restauranttab for a family he has been watching in admiration for their obvious love of being with one another. Or the man of modest means who wills his hard-earned and surprisingly large savings to a school. In 2006 we lost someone with such a spirit. Her name was Sheryl Bull and she had been Modern Healthcare magazine’s talented and… beckershospitalreview.com   (11/25)  Share: Forward | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIN

Johnstown’s Conemaugh Health System is formally exploring affiliation with other hospital networks, potentially setting up yet another mergerin Western Pennsylvania’s ever-changing health care landscape. Conemaugh’s request-for-proposals a solicitation to potential bidders or vendors was issued this month. Amy Bradley, spokeswoman and marketing director for Conemaugh Health System, confirmed the news. “We’re interested in talking to potential partners,” she said. Conemaugh is “early in the process.” This request for potential… post-gazette.com   (11/25)  Share: Forward | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIN

The Hawai‘i Health Connector today announced the appointmentof Tom Matsuda, current Affordable Care Act implementation manager with the Governor’s office, as interim executive director. He will begin his new role on December 9. Coral Andrews will resign as the nonprofit’s executive director, effective December 6. A search for a permanent executive director by the board of directors is now under way and Andrews is assisting the board with the transition to the interim executive director. “On behalf of the board of directors, I want to thank… hawaiihealthconnector.com   (11/18)  Share: Forward | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIN

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