What good are quality metrics if they measure factors that hospitals cant change? Using readmission data after PCI in hospitals in Massachusetts, researchers attempted to identify modifiable deficiencies that hospitals could target to improve performance. What they found was a wide variation in 30-day all-cause risk-standardized readmission rates, little of which was attributable to differences in procedural and postprocedural factors.

Despite data supporting the clinical benefits of remote monitoring, some practices are resisting adoption due to the potential liability of receiving alerts on a 24-hour basis. Four experts share their opinions on how practices should approach these considerations.

CHICAGOChanges to the physician fee schedule have overturned practices, leaving some private practice physicians running for cover at nearby hospitals. The future of the physician fee schedule and the changes linked to it remain a mystery, said Cathleen D. Biga, RN, president and CEO of Cardiovascular Management of Illinois, during a presentation March 25 at the 61st annual American College of Cardiology (ACC) scientific session.

CHICAGOOwnership of data in a cardiovascular practice is everyones responsibility, said Cathleen Biga, RN, CEO of Cardiovascular Management of Illinois in Woodridge, Ill., at the American College of Cardiologys 61st annual scientific session. Failure to meet that responsibility may result in lost opportunities to improve careand revenue, too.

CHICAGO—Numerous conflicting forces are impacting the traditional hospital/physician integration model, and administrators need to have a good sense of the issues and what the physician values before employing additional physicians, according to a March 23 presentation at the American College of Cardiovascular Administrators (ACCA) annual meeting.

Although the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is a promising innovation, rigorous evaluations and comprehensive implementation analyses are needed to assess effectiveness and refine the model to meet stakeholders needs, according to an article in the February edition of the American Journal of Managed Care.

Almost a quarter of C-level hospital executives named recruitment of cardiologists and other cardiovascular (CV) professionals as one of their biggest challenges in running a CV business unit in a survey by the American College of Cardiology (ACC). The results released March 6 were based on responses from 300 hospital executives and CV professionals from 291 hospitals and medical facilities.

With oral arguments set for March 26-28 in the Supreme Court for the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the courts decision could have a significant effect on the 2012 presidential election since PPACA is already a hot-button issue, according to a perspective paper published online Feb. 29 in the New England Journal of Medicine.