Although hospitals have financial motivation to lower their readmission rates, many have not taken the recommended steps that could reduce those rates, according to a research letter published online Oct. 21 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Digisonics, a Best in KLAS provider of cardiovascular information systems (CVIS), has introduced functionality for Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) calculations.  Appropriate Use Criteria are evidence-based guidelines to assist referring physicians and other providers in making the appropriate imaging or treatment decision for a specific clinical condition/indication. Digisonics recognizes that reimbursement audits will be tied to appropriate use scores in the future, so there is considerable benefit for facilities that utilize the Digisonics CVIS to monitor appropriate use scores and produce the required structured reports.

Despite the push toward patient-centered care and shared decision making, two physicians argued in an editorial published Oct. 16 in JAMA that there is insufficient evidence to suggest shared decision making can lower costs and reduce overtreatment.

Anticoagulants were among the drugs that caused the most adverse drug events during hospital stays in 2011, according to a report published by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. 

Richard Winters, MD, a practicing emergency physician and a physician executive coach, offered frazzled physician leaders pointers for resolving common problems that they encounter in their executive roles in a Harvard Business Review guest blog post.

A new report highlighting data from the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) provides a snapshot of the many ways clinical registry data can be used to assess quality of care and outcomes associated with broad populations of patients with cardiovascular disease.

On Oct. 1, 2014, the ICD-10 system will replace the current ICD-9 codes. ICD-10 implementation will change the way coding is currently done and the code set will grow from 14,315 diagnosis codes to more than 69,099 codes. These changes will require a significant effort to implement the new system and this is the time to start preparations in your practice.

Join the American College of Cardiology on Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. ET for a webinar on “Promoting Patient Outcomes and Quality Care Through Physician/Hospital Alignment.”