Patient Care

This page includes news coverage of various aspects of patient healthcare, including new technology innovations, what is working, what is not, personalized medicine and remote and telemedicine delivery. Find specific news in the areas of Care DeliveryDigital TransformationPrecision MedicineRemote Monitoring and Telehealth.

High-intensity statins may improve survival for those with ASCVD

Patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) who took high-intensity statins had a one-year survival advantage compared with those who received moderate-intensity statins, according to a retrospective cohort analysis. The study also found that maximal doses of high-intensity statins were associated with a greater survival benefit than submaximal high-intensity statins.

Health system agrees to pay nearly $1 million for cardiologist’s alleged improper Medicare billing

A health system in Philadelphia agreed to pay nearly $1 million to resolve allegations that a cardiologist improperly billed Medicare for unnecessary services, Philadelphia Business Journal reports.

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Top 50 cardiovascular hospitals have higher survival rates, lower readmission rates

Truven Health Analytics released its 18th annual top 50 cardiovascular hospitals study Nov. 7. The annual list is based on public data sources, including the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR) file, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare dataset and Medicare cost reports. 

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Teenage, young adult cancer survivors may have increased risk of cardiac mortality

People who were diagnosed with cancer at 15 to 19 years old and survived for at least five years had a 4.2 times higher risk of cardiac mortality compared with the general population of people of similar age and gender, according to an analysis of survivors of teenage and young adult cancer in England and Wales.

Survival for children following in-hospital cardiac arrest may be lower if given CPR at night

After adjusting for numerous factors, children who received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at night after in-hospital cardiac arrests had a lower rate of survival to hospital discharge compared with children who received CPR during the day or evening, according to a registry analysis.

Cardiologist helps save the life of a college football player

Cardiologist Stacy Brewington, MD, helped Wofford College football player Michael Roach survive after Roach suffered cardiac arrest, WKRN in Nashville, Tennessee, reports.

30-day mortality rates following NSTEMI are similar at low- and high-utilization ICU hospitals

The 30-day mortality rates for older adults with non-ST segment elevation MI (NSTEMI) were not significantly different whether they were treated at a high-, intermediate- or low-use intensive care unit (ICU) hospital, according to a retrospective analysis of Medicare data.

Patients taking cancer medications may develop severe heart problems

Drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors that are intended to treat various types of cancer may in rare cases cause patients to develop severe heart damage, the New York Times reports.

Around the web

GE HealthCare said the price of iodine contrast increased by more than 200% between 2017 to 2023. Will new Chinese tariffs drive costs even higher?

Several key trends were evident at the Radiological Society of North America 2024 meeting, including new CT and MR technology and evolving adoption of artificial intelligence.