Top Hospital Ratings Prove Scarce In Medicare's Latest Tally
Only 7 percent of the nation's hospitals assessed by Medicare were good enough to win 5-star ratings. The government used patient reviews to come up with the grades.
Hospitals
Premera Blue Cross Cyberattack Exposed Millions Of Customer Records
The health insurance provider has revealed that a cyberattack discovered in January may have made the medical and financial information of 11 million people vulnerable to thieves.
For A Good Snooze, Take One Melatonin, Add Eye Mask And Earplugs
Hospitals are notoriously difficult places to sleep, despite efforts to make them less noisy. Cheap, simple workarounds can help, a study says. Taking the sleep hormone melatonin helped the most.
Nurses Have To Translate When Medical Devices Fail To Communicate
Medical technology can make patient care better and more precise. But the gadgets and computers can cause trouble, too. One big problem is that most of the devices often can't talk with one another.
With Medicare Pay On The Line, Hospitals Push Harder To Please Patients
The federal government now factors patient satisfaction ratings into the rates Medicare pays hospitals. Some hospitals with lower ratings are finding it's difficult to change patients' perceptions.
What's A Patient To Do When Hospital Ratings Disagree?
Many people check up on hospitals before they check in as patients. But there's a catch. A hospital that gets lauded by one group can be panned by another.
Sharing Patient Records Is Still A Digital Dilemma For Doctors
There's good news and bad news about electronic medical records. They're now in most doctors' offices — but most doctors still can't easily share them.
Alleged Patient Safety Kickbacks Lead To $1 Million Settlement
The Justice Department claimed patient safety celebrity Dr. Chuck Denham solicited payments from a medical products company to win a prestigious National Quality Forum endorsement for its antiseptic.
Infections With Dangerous Gut Microbe Still On The Rise
Clostridium difficile sickens nearly half a million Americans annually, killing about 29,000, say federal health officials. They warn hospitals and nursing homes to tighten hygiene protocols.
Administration Bars Health Plans That Won't Cover Hospital Care
Companies mainly in lower-wage industries that hadn't previously offered health coverage had been flocking to the stripped-down plans for 2015.