State Insurance Commissioners Vote to Approve More Stringent Rules

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners voted unanimously to endorse standards requiring that "80 percent of premium revenue be spent on medical care and 'activities that improve health care quality' for patients." This requirement was set in place by health reform legislation.

The standards set limits on what revenue spending is defined as improvements to health care quality, and what is considered to be compensation or administrative spending. The goal of the standards is to make insurance companies function more as providers of healthcare and less as for-profit companies.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius is expected to take the recommended standards and propose them as a new regulation for insurance companies. Opponents of the recommendations argue that they will negatively disrupt the insurance industry by forcing companies out of business and reducing consumer choice.


Source: The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/22/health/policy/22insure.html?_r=4&emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

VA Hospitals Implementing Airline Safety Tips

A study of over 108 Veterans Health Administration Hospitals showed an increased drop in patient deaths in facilities that implemented error prevention strategies created by airlines and NASA. Of the 108 facilities, the 74 that implemented the strategies had an 18 percent drop in deaths, compared to a 7 percent drop in facilities that did not implement them.

The Medical Team Training program was targeted at surgical teams, encouraging communication among members of the team, challenging each other to abide by safety practices, and encouraging the use of checklists in preoperative and postoperative briefings. Miscommunication among team members was identified by the aviation industry as a large factor contributing to errors.

The full study can be found in the October 20 Journal of the American Medical Association.


Source: Bloomberg Businessweek
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/644661.html

Arkansas Court Strikes Down Economic Credentialing

The Arkansas Supreme Court upheld a 2009 decision stating that a hospital could not deny staff privileges to physicians with an ownership stake in competing hospital based on financial concerns because this policy violates state laws.

Baptist Health in Little Rock, Arkansas denied staff privileges to 12 physicians stating that its conflict of interest policy permitted the hospital to do so because of the economic interests of the facility.

Organizations such as the American Medical Association joined the physicians as plaintiffs, stating that restricting physician practice through economic credentialing restricts patient choice and that physicians should be evaluated on performance, not financial factors.

This is the highest court decision issued on the subject of economic credentialing. The AMA states that it is an issue that if challenged again, will be determined on a state-by-state basis.


Source: amednews.com
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/10/18/prsc1018.htm

Even Hospitals Aren't Immune to Bed Bugs

Nationally, residences, businesses, and even federal offices have been dealing with a resurgence of bed bug infestations. Now it appears that even hospitals are receiving visits from the pests.

Lenoir Memorial Hospital in Kinston, North Carolina recently had to implement a policy to prevent the spread of bedbugs in the facility. After exterminating and treating a room that had become infested, LMH imposed a policy that prohibits patients and visitors from bringing outside bedding into the facility, including blankets and pillows.

Hospitals have had to implement policies to prevent the spread of infections. If the number of reported infestations continues to increase, it may not be long until bed bug policies becoming common in facilities.

To read the full article, click here:
http://www.enctoday.com/news/bugs-68426-kfpress-bed-memorial.html


Source: encToday.com

Whistleblower Physician Awarded $1 in Damages after Hospital Took Retaliatory Action

The US District Court for the District of Maine awarded Dr. Kristine Thayer $1 in damages, plus recovery of attorney's fees and court costs after a jury found that Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC) took retaliatory action against her in violation of Maine's Whistleblower Protection Act (Thayer v. Eastern Maine Medical Center).

Thayer, a pediatric surgeon, told her supervisor that pediatric gastroenterologist Dr. Mohammed Tabbah was providing substandard patient care. Following the report, the hospital began an investigation of Dr. Thayer as a disruptive physician and the medical staff executive committee recommended that she attend anger management counseling, with the threat of disciplinary action for further disruptive behavior. Thayer voluntarily chose to leave EMMC.

At trial, the jury found that the supervisor's initiation of peer review was retaliation for Dr. Thayer's actions and a violation of the Whistleblower Protection Act; however, they believe that that she suffered no injury that would entitle her to damages. Thayer filed an amended complaint for damages as well as the cost of court and attorneys' fees.

The district court ruled that Thayer was entitled to court and attorneys' fees. However, they limited her damages to $1, stating that the reinstatement of her professional reputation and the negative reputation cast on EMMC was an appropriate remedy that did not need to be supplemented by a further award of monetary damages.


Source: BNA

TJC Releases 2010 Report on Hospital Quality and Safety

The Joint Commission (TJC) has released their 2010 Annual Report on Quality and Safety. For the first time, the report focuses on accountability and performance and how they have a positive impact on patient care.

To read the full report, click here:
http://www.jointcommission.org/Library/annual_report.htm


Source: The Joint Commission

Are Train Station Bathrooms Cleaner than Hospital Bathrooms?

A survey performed by MicrobeWorld, an educational branch of the American Society for Microbiology, shows that bathroom users in large public places such as Grand Central Station in New York City and Turner Field in Atlanta, may be more likely to wash their hands than those working in hospitals.

Turner Field scored the lowest out of all the public locations, with 65 percent of men washing their hands after using the bathroom. This is high compared to a study performed by McGuckin Methods International, which found that less than 50 percent of bathroom visitors in ICU and non-ICU units complied with baseline hand washing guidelines.

Organizations such as The Joint Commission have set hand hygiene goals for hospitals and have reported success in increasing compliance. Hospitals need to emphasize the importance of proper hand washing. This simple practice can help drastically cut the number of hospital-acquired infections, which are on the rise in facilities across the country.


Source: thehealthcareblog.com
http://www.thehealthcareblog.com/the_health_care_blog/2010/09/nyc-train-station-bathroom-yields-cleaner-hands-than-hospitals.html