From a field of nearly 1,200 hospitals, The Leapfrog Group has chosen 65 to represent the top hospitals of 2010. Released Dec. 1,  the 2010 list includes university and other teaching hospitals, children's hospitals and community hospitals in rural, suburban and urban settings.

The University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore and Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle have been named "Top Hospitals of the Decade" by The Leapfrog Group for their innovations in patient safety and quality and reducing medical errors.

Reimbursement changes, healthcare reform, comparative-effectiveness research, conflicts of interest, accountable care organizations and a workforce shortagethese are some of the topics that our Leadership Forum participants put forth as challengeswith perhaps some hidden opportunitiesfor the coming year.

While an ambulatory EMR may help a practice reach financial incentives and streamline patient information, the initial rollout may be costly and negatively impact productivity.

At the recent American Heart Association (AHA) meeting, several reported trial results will most likely inform practice in the coming years. These include RAFT, which found that CRT-D devices benefit less severe heart failure patients; GRAVITAS, which found that high doses of clopidogrel hold no benefit for low responders; and PARTNER quality-of-life trial, which found a significant positive quality of life for patients receiving transcatheter valve implants.

The rate of congenital heart disease (CHD) mortality has declined between 1999 and 2006; however, disparities between race and ethnicities still exist, according to a study published online Nov. 22 in Circulation.

The 15th Century Dutch theologian Desiderius Erasmus references the Greek mythological figure, Sisyphus, who was condemned by the gods to spend eternity rolling a boulder up a mountain, at which point it would roll back down, and he would have to start again at the beginning of each day. While treating certain patient conditions may seem comparable to this type of insurmountable task, the fervor with which cardiologists are attempting to seek new treatments reveals a continuous dedication toward improved patient care and no brokenness of spirit to which Sisyphus is so oft tied. These efforts were on display this week at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions in Chicago through a multitude of well-designed clinical trials.

Panasonic has unveiled its Cardiohealth Station, a screening device used to detect carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and coronary artery plaque, which is currently awaiting FDA approval.