Quality

The focus of quality improvement in healthcare is to bolster performance and processes related to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Leaders in this space also ensure the proper selection of imaging exams and procedures, and monitor the safety of services, among other duties. Reimbursement programs such as the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) utilize financial incentives to improve quality. This also includes setting and maintaining care quality initiatives, such as the requirements set by the Joint Commission.

Family of heart patient who died awarded $45M after suing health system for negligence
The 55-year-old patient woke up experiencing chest pain one morning and an ambulance was called. He was dead just a few hours later. His family's lawsuit argued that delays in care, communication errors and other issues were directly responsible for his death.
How to score accreditation for a radiotherapy theranostics program
Wes Folds, a PET specialist with the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission, discusses a new nuclear offering from IAC.
Referrers want more structured radiology reports
Ordering physicians believe templated reporting more clearly communicates impressions regarding neuro patients, which often require more complex workups and management.
Quality of care for heart patients does not improve in first year of ACO participation
Researchers tracked patient outcomes through the use of 15 performance measures related to hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure and atrial fibrillation.
American Heart Association program leads to substantial improvements in stroke care
Cardiologist Gregg Fonarow, MD, reviewed decades of data and discussed the long-term impact of the AHA's Get With The Guidelines-Stroke program.

American College of Radiology updates imaging appropriateness criteria with 5 new topics

ACR’s additions cover scenarios including imaging after breast surgery, fibroids, hernias, pediatric ataxia, and follow-up for esophageal cancer.

Ranna Parekh, MD, is the diversity and inclusion officer at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and will soon switch to that role at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

MD Anderson appointed a chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has hired Ranna Parekh, MD, as its chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer (CDEIO), who currently serves as the inaugural chief diversity and inclusion officer at American College of Cardiology (ACC) .

Use of unnecessary neuroimaging for patients with dizziness prevalent in outpatient settings

Quality improvement efforts have sought to address such low-value diagnostic testing in the ED, with little attention paid to ambulatory settings, experts wrote in JAMA.

Notable names among 22 sites joining ACR’s new initiative to improve cancer diagnostics

Those include Radiology Partners, Solis Mammography, Cleveland Clinic, Stanford Health Care and Intermountain, among others, the college announced Thursday.

AI-assisted document annotation and data labeling from the start-up ScienceIO is supposed to give providers a tool to turn documents into data. Documents are automatically labeled and users have the ability to edit them and add their own labels. The Annotate software is designed for healthcare records, protocols and papers and is more 20 times faster than manual labeling.

Mayo Clinic launching 4 startups with healthcare partners

Mayo Clinic’s immersive program for health tech startups has launched its initial cohort of companies, starting with four AI startups.

Cancer screening in need of ‘urgent attention’ to address lingering effects from COVID shutdowns

Accredited U.S. programs have reported sizable monthly screening deficits for lung, breast, and colorectal cancer, researchers reported recently.

Philips ventilators recalled

The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has recalled more ventilators manufactured by Philips.

Study charts uptick in unnecessary CT, MR imaging surveillance of noninvasive bladder cancer

The impact of these patterns is substantial and may have negative consequences for patients and the healthcare system, experts wrote in JAMA Network Open.

Quality

Family of heart patient who died awarded $45M after suing health system for negligence

How to score accreditation for a radiotherapy theranostics program

Referrers want more structured radiology reports

Quality of care for heart patients does not improve in first year of ACO participation

American Heart Association program leads to substantial improvements in stroke care