September 2012 | Cardiovascular Business

Getting a Gauge on Readmissions Penalties

In October, Medicare will begin tying payments to some of its performance measures. Hospitals that fare poorly on preventable readmissions for acute MI, heart failure and pneumonia may see reimbursement reduced by up to 1 percent in 2013. The penalty applies to all Medicare discharge payments during a fiscal year, and not just payments for preventable readmissions, making the financial loss potentially huge. Are you ready?

Risk & Risk Adjusting

IT may become a valuable resource for tracking not only patient outcomes but also the consequences of the hospital readmissions reduction program.

Getting Creative with Managing Contrast Media

With the help of barcoding and radiofrequency identification technologies, managing contrast media agents may be a less daunting task.

Keeping Low-risk CAD Evaluations Low Cost, Too

By ruling out patients at low risk of coronary artery disease, tools such as SPECT may eliminate unnecessary treatments and their associated costs.

Lessons from Methodist: Deploying Evidence-based Reporting

The successful deployment of Siemens syngo Dynamics at Methodist Willowbrook Hospital has prompted Methodist Hospital to adopt the technology throughout its system.

Complexities of Off-label Prescribing in CV Pediatrics

Varied health IT systems and larger studies may help with tracking and assessing the risk of off-label usage in cardiovascular pediatric patients.

ACC Corner | Hospital-Physician Collaboration Key to Successful CV Service Line

The current shift from traditional fee-for-service to value-based payment models necessitates that physicians and hospitals work collaboratively in looking for more efficient and less costly healthcare that provides better outcomes.

Cardiac MR: Finding a Niche in Diagnostics

Recent studies have documented the efficacy of cardiac MR, prompting some to say its role will expand. Others see obstacles ahead, though.

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