September 2007
CMS quality demo pays dividends for hospitals, but not always financially
Results from the first three years of the Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration (HQID) suggest that while bonuses were something to shoot for, they weren't the primary motivators for most participants. Instead, some hospitals viewed their participation as an opportunity to implement a tracking system, identify areas for improvement and see how they stacked up against other hospitals.
Letters
A new idea about handling MRSA, and a comment on the differential diagnosis of infectious cellulitis.
CMS issues final reimbursement rules
CMS recently issued final rules on payment for inpatient hospital services and inpatient rehabilitation facilities.
Doctor, don't be a hero: Getting VAP to zero takes teamwork
Giving up a little of his traditional role in ventilator-associated pneumonia prevention has paid off in a lighter workload and better patient outcomes for one hospitalist at Bloomington Hospital in Bloomington, Ind.
Diagnosing adrenal insufficiency
Experts debate glucose control in the ICUTesting, steroid use common questions in the ICU.
Experts debate glucose control in the ICU
Studies have shown that controlling blood glucose closely and carefully improves survival and morbidity among intensive care patients, but the ideal target remains controversial.
MKSAP primer: Acute complications of diabetes mellitus
The major acute complications of diabetes are the hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic emergencies.
Inpatient glucose control
A 71-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes is hospitalized with new congestive heart failure... and other cases.
Journal watch: Recent studies of note
Recent studies about C. difficile colitis, elderly patients and sleeping pills, and other topics.