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Released: 16-Mar-2009 12:55 PM EDT
Healthcare 411 Podcast Tip Sheet for March 11, 2009
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

This week's Healthcare 411 podcasts from AHRQ: Office Visits for High Cholesterol; Electronic Medical Records Prevent Medical Errors; How to Find a High-Quality Nursing Home.

Released: 13-Mar-2009 1:05 PM EDT
New Tools to Protect Children During Public Health Emergencies
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has released two new tools designed to protect and care for children who are in a hospital or a school during a public health emergency.

Released: 13-Mar-2009 1:05 PM EDT
AHRQ Announces New Members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Three new members have been appointed to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Susan Curry, Ph.D., of Iowa City; Joy Melnikow, M.D., M.P.H., of Sacramento; and Wanda Nicholson, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., of Baltimore.

Released: 9-Mar-2009 2:45 PM EDT
New Patient Safety Survey Can Assess Medical Office Safety Culture
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

A new evidence-based tool can help medical office managers and clinicians assess how their staff views different areas of patient safety.

Released: 9-Mar-2009 12:40 PM EDT
Diabetes Tool Calculates Potential Savings to Employers for Better Diabetes Management
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

AHRQ has a new tool that is designed to help employers better estimate how to save money while still paying health care costs for employees who have diabetes.

Released: 4-Mar-2009 3:30 PM EST
Northeast U.S. Has Most Brain Cancer Hospitalizations
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

People in the Northeastern U.S. are one-third more likely than those in the South or West to be hospitalized for treatment of brain cancer or to have brain cancer when they are hospitalized for another illness or complication.

Released: 27-Feb-2009 9:30 PM EST
Trend Data Show Hospital and Doctor Visits Soared for Some Conditions
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Americans visited a hospital outpatient department or office-based provider for high cholesterol 300 percent more often in 2006 than they did in 1996.

Released: 19-Feb-2009 2:15 PM EST
Hospitals to Test Ways to Reduce Blood Infections from Central Lines
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Hospital associations in 10 states have been selected to participate in a program to test methods of reducing central-line associated blood stream infections in hospital intensive care units.

Released: 19-Feb-2009 11:25 AM EST
Hospital Admissions and Bills Rising for Uninsured Americans
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Hospital admissions for the uninsured increased by a third between 1997 and 2006, rising from 1.7 million to 2.2 million stays.

Released: 12-Feb-2009 4:30 PM EST
Spending for Prescription Pain Medicines Has Tripled in 10 Years
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Spending for outpatient prescription painkillers and medicines that treat aches and pains increased from $4.2 billion in 1996 to $13.2 billion in 2006.

Released: 5-Feb-2009 4:35 PM EST
Metabolic Drugs Dominate Spending for Prescription Medicines
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Medications that affect a person's metabolism by helping to lower cholesterol, control diabetes and control weight accounted for $38 billion of the $208.1 billion that American adults spent on medications in 2006.

29-Jan-2009 8:00 PM EST
Educating Patients Before They Leave the Hospital Saves Money
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Patients who have a clear understanding of their care plan after they are discharged from the hospital are 30 percent less likely to be readmitted or visit the emergency department than patients who lack this information.

Released: 29-Jan-2009 2:10 PM EST
Winter Weather Hospitalizes Thousands, Kills Hundreds
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Frigid temperatures, which each year cause hypothermia and other cold-related heath problems, resulted in more than 6,000 hospitalizations and 827 deaths in 2006.

Released: 16-Jan-2009 12:15 PM EST
Using Atypical Antipsychotics Increases Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death in Adults
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Patients ages 30 to 74 who took atypical antipsychotics such as Risperdal, Seroquel, Zyprexa and Clozaril had a significantly higher risk of sudden death from cardiac arrhythmias and other cardiac causes than patients who did not take these medications.

Released: 8-Jan-2009 8:00 PM EST
New Web Site Links Consumers and Clinicians to Latest Info on Therapeutics
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

The new Web site, called the Clinician-Consumer Health Advisory Information Network, links clinicians and consumers with therapeutics information to assist in clinical practice and health care decisionmaking.

Released: 8-Jan-2009 5:45 PM EST
Nearly 11 Million Americans Have Individual Health Insurance Policies
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

About 10.9 million Americans under age 65 purchased individual (not through an employer) health insurance policies at some point in 2006, but only 7 million were covered by these policies for the full year.

Released: 30-Dec-2008 4:35 PM EST
Medication Errors Common in Outpatient Cancer Treatment
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Seven percent of adults and 19 percent of children taking chemotherapy drugs in outpatient clinics or at home were given the wrong dose or experienced other mistakes involving their medications.

Released: 18-Dec-2008 8:30 AM EST
Fewer Hospitalizations for Bleeding in Digestive System
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Improved treatments for acid reflux disease, ulcers, arthritis and other conditions helped reduce hospital admission rates for internal bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract by 14 percent from 1998 to 2006.

Released: 12-Dec-2008 12:10 PM EST
Annual Hospital Costs for the Top 6 Heart-related Conditions Near $60 Billion
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Treating heart attack victims, opening clogged arteries and treating other common cardiovascular conditions cost U.S. hospitals $57.9 billion in 2006 "“ about 40 percent more than in 1997.

Released: 9-Dec-2008 9:45 PM EST
New Spanish-Language Guide About Use of Drug to Prevent Blood Clots
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a new pamphlet to help Spanish-speaking patients know what to expect and watch out for while using the blood thinner Coumadin®/warfarin.

Released: 9-Dec-2008 9:45 PM EST
Medical Residents Need More Sleep and Training to Prevent Errors
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Fatigued medical residents need protected sleep periods and increased supervision of work hour limits to improve patient safety and the training environment, according to a new Institute of Medicine report funded by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Released: 9-Dec-2008 9:45 PM EST
Pressure Ulcers Increasing Among Hospital Patients
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Hospitalizations involving patients with pressure ulcers"“ either developed before or after admission "“ increased by nearly 80 percent between 1993 and 2006.

Released: 9-Dec-2008 9:45 PM EST
Crowding, Staffing Shortages Imperil Safety in Hospital Emergency Departments
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Hospital emergency departments are not designed and managed as safely as they should be and working conditions need to be improved. The study, funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, is the first to examine closely the issue of safety from the perspective of emergency department doctors and nurses.

Released: 9-Dec-2008 9:30 PM EST
E-prescribing Systems Can Boost Drug Cost Savings
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) systems that allow doctors to select lower cost or generic medications can save $845,000 per 100,000 patients per year and possibly more system-wide.

Released: 9-Dec-2008 8:30 PM EST
Nearly All U.S. Hospitals Have Adverse Event Reporting Systems
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

More than ninety-four percent of U.S. hospitals have centralized systems for collecting reports of adverse events, but only 21 percent fully distribute and consider adverse event summary reports.

Released: 24-Nov-2008 1:40 PM EST
New Preventive Health Guides for Spanish-Speakers Over 50
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

AHRQ has released two new Spanish-language checklists to help Spanish-speaking men and women over the age of 50 keep track of when they should have potentially life-saving screening exams done.

Released: 24-Nov-2008 1:25 PM EST
New Inventory of HHS Quality Measures Released
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released the first-ever inventory of quality measures that are used for reporting, payment, or quality improvement by its agencies and operating divisions.

Released: 24-Nov-2008 1:15 PM EST
Lung Cancer Diagnoses Dropping but Hospital Admissions Are the Same
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Hospital admissions for lung cancer remained relatively stable "“ at roughly 150,000 a year between 1995 and 2006 "“ despite a steady decline in the number of Americans diagnosed with the disease.

Released: 24-Nov-2008 1:10 PM EST
Final Rule Issued for Patient Safety Organizations
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued a final rule for Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs), which will become effective on Jan. 19, 2009. It provides final requirements and procedures for PSOs to identify and reduce patient care risks and hazards.

Released: 24-Nov-2008 1:00 PM EST
Women More Likely than Men to be Hospitalized for Chest Pain
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Women are more likely than men to be hospitalized for chest pain for which doctors cannot find a specific cause.

Released: 24-Nov-2008 12:30 PM EST
Weight-Loss Surgery Followed by Pregnancy May Equal Fewer Complications
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Women who undergo weight-loss surgery and later become pregnant after losing weight may be at lower risk for pregnancy-related diabetes and high blood pressure than pregnant women who are obese.

Released: 10-Nov-2008 6:15 PM EST
One in Five Hospital Admissions Are for Patients with Mental Disorders
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

About 1.4 million hospitalizations in 2006 involved patients who were admitted for a mental illness, while another 7.1 million patients had a mental disorder in addition to the physical condition for which they were admitted.

Released: 5-Nov-2008 5:35 PM EST
AHRQ National Advisory Council To Meet November 7
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Public invited to National Advisory Council meeting Nov. 7 where AHRQ will discuss such topics as patient-centered care, quality and value in health care, and updates for AHRQ's National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report.

Released: 5-Nov-2008 5:30 PM EST
One in Ten Americans Suffers Arthritis Pain
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Research finds one in 10 adults is being treated for arthritis pain.

Released: 5-Nov-2008 5:30 PM EST
AHRQ Begins Listing Patient Safety Organizations
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Ten organizations have been listed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality as Patient Safety Organizations. These are the first organizations to certify as PSOs.

Released: 5-Nov-2008 5:25 PM EST
More than 2 Million Children with Insured Parents Are Uninsured; Most Are Low Or Middle Income
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Some 2.3 million children a year, mostly from low- to middle-income families, have no health care coverage to pay for preventive or other medical needs, even though at least one of their parents is insured.

Released: 27-Oct-2008 8:55 AM EDT
Hospital Discharges to Home Health and Nursing Homes Increasing
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

The rate of patients discharged from hospitals but who still needed home health care increased 53 percent (from 2 million to 4 million) between 1997 and 2006. There was a 30 percent increase (from 4 million to 5 million) in the rate of patients discharged to nursing homes or rehabilitation facilities during the same period.

Released: 27-Oct-2008 8:55 AM EDT
More than 2 Million Children with Insured Parents Are Uninsured
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Some 2.3 million children a year, mostly from low- to middle-income families, have no health care coverage to pay for preventive or other medical needs, even though at least one of their parents is insured, according to a new study supported by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Center for Research Resources.

Released: 27-Oct-2008 8:00 AM EDT
Hispanics Hospitalized at Higher Rates for Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations than Whites
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Hispanic adults from both poor and wealthy communities are much more likely than whites to be hospitalized for health problems that good quality outpatient care can prevent or control, such as uncontrolled diabetes and heart ailments.

Released: 27-Oct-2008 8:00 AM EDT
HHS Issues Interim Guidance for Patient Safety Organizations
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

New interim guidance that outlines how to become a Patient Safety Organization is now available from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Released: 27-Oct-2008 8:00 AM EDT
One in 10 Adults Is Treated for Arthritis
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Approximately 21 million Americans "“ 9.5 percent of adults 18 and older "“ either visited or called a doctor for a prescription to reduce arthritis pain in 2005 (the latest year for these data).

Released: 7-Oct-2008 10:15 AM EDT
Several Methods Equally Effective for Colorectal Cancer Screening
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

In a change from its previous recommendation, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends that adults age 50 to 75 be screened for colorectal cancer. According to the Task Force, good evidence exists that using these methods save lives.

Released: 3-Oct-2008 12:15 PM EDT
AHRQ Awards $3 Million to Help Reduce Central Line-Associated Blood Stream Infections in Hospital ICUs
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has awarded nearly $3 million for a contract to help reduce central line-associated bloodstream infections in hospital intensive care units.

Released: 3-Oct-2008 12:00 PM EDT
Tuberculosis Hospitalizations Fall 41 Percent
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Hospitalizations for tuberculosis fell from 15,000 in 1995 to 8,800 in 2006. However, the number of hospitalizations for patients who were hospitalized for other conditions but who also had tuberculosis only fell about 10 percent, from 55,500 in 1995 to 49,700 in 2006.

Released: 29-Sep-2008 2:15 PM EDT
Behavioral Programs Help Obese Children Manage Their Weight
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Obese school-age kids and teens can lose weight or prevent further weight gain if they participate in medium- to high-intensity behavioral management programs.

Released: 26-Sep-2008 1:00 PM EDT
New Computer-Based Tools Will Help Make Best Use of Genetic Breast Cancer Tests
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

A new federal project, funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, will lead efforts to develop, implement and evaluate four computer-based decision-support tools that will help clinicians and patients better use genetic tests to evaluate and treat breast cancer.

Released: 25-Sep-2008 4:30 PM EDT
AHRQ Releases Survey to Assess Nursing Home Safety Culture
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

AHRQ has just released the Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture to help nursing homes assess safety culture, track changes in resident safety over time, and evaluate the impact of safety interventions.

Released: 23-Sep-2008 8:20 PM EDT
More U.S. Kids Getting Government Dental Insurance
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

About 30 percent of U.S. children and adolescents were covered by government-sponsored dental insurance in 2006, a significant increase from the 18 percent covered in 1996.

Released: 18-Sep-2008 2:40 PM EDT
Patients’ Hospital Bills Jumped $70 Billion in Just One Year
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Hospital charges "“ what patients are billed for their rooms, nursing care, diagnostic tests and other services "“ jumped from $873 billion in 2005 to $943 billion in 2006.



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