Here are seven updates:
DuPage Medical Group acquires Midwest ENT Consultants
Chicago-based DuPage Medical Group completed its acquisition of Midwest ENT Consultants. Through the acquisition, DMG will bring in eight board-certified specialists in otolaryngology, head and neck surgery as well as four physician assistants and seven audiologists.
Coastal Orthopedics performs 100th outpatient joint replacement
Florida-based Coastal Orthopedics Sports Medicine and Pain Management's Alan Valadie, MD, performed the center's 100th outpatient joint replacement. The practice began offering outpatient total joint replacements in 2013.
Obama administration to rate health insurance plans by network size
After facing numerous consumer complaints, the Obama administration passed new rules allowing the administration to rate health insurance plans based on their network's size. Although the rules allow payers to sell health plans with narrow provider networks, consumers will be able to see the value of the plans as the government will attach a label listing the breadth of the network for each plan HealthCare.gov sells.
Retail health clinics aren't cutting healthcare costs
A Harvard Medical Schools study found retail health clinics may be increasing health costs rather then reducing them. Researchers found retail health clinics have resulted in increased use of medical services.
Genesis Health System has 4 wrong-site surgeries in 40 days
TV-6 investigators found a letter in which Genesis Health System, which has hospitals in Iowa and Illinois, told staff members four wrong-site surgeries occurred at the health system's hospitals within 40 days. The health system attributes the errors to hospital staff failing to conduct time outs.
Forest Park Medical Center co-founder Dr. Richard Toussaint guilty of $10M fraud scheme
U.S. District Judge Reed C. O'Connor convicted anesthesiologist and co-founder of Dallas-based Forest Park Medical Center system Richard F. Toussaint Jr., MD, of committing a $10 million healthcare fraud scheme. Dr. Toussaint was found guilty on seven counts of fraud.
National Quality Forum recommends HIT patient safety goals
The National Quality Forum wrote recommendations for organizations to establish better health IT guidelines. The recommendations touch on the following topics:
• Clinical decision support
• System interoperability
• Patient identification
• User-centered design
• System downtime and data availability
• Feedback and information sharing
• Health IT for timely documentation
• Patient engagement
• Health IT risk management
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