Hospital readmission rates linked with quality of surgical care
For immediate release: Wednesday, September 18, 2013 Boston, MA — Reducing hospital readmission rates is an important clinical and policy priority but whether those rates really measure the quality of hospital care isn’t clear. In a new study,…
Doctors, hospitals increasing use of electronic health records
Hospitals nearly tripled their use of electronic health records (EHR) systems between 2010 and 2012, according to a new study co-authored by [[Ashish Jha]] of Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). The authors found that 44% of hospitals…
New strategies needed to curb costs among expensive Medicare patients
Preventable emergency room visits and hospitalizations represent only a small part of the health costs among Medicare patients with the highest expenses, according to a new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Brigham and Women’s…
Hospital performance on trio of medical conditions may predict quality of broader hospital care
How well a hospital performs on three major publicly reported conditions—heart attack, congestive heart failure, and pneumonia—may prove a useful tool in signaling overall hospital mortality rates, according to a new Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) study.…
HSPH and Ministry of Health of India formalize collaboration on public health issues
May 24, 2013 -- India faces daunting public health challenges. Maternal and infant mortality rates are high. Malaria and tuberculosis persist stubbornly. Noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes and cancer are prevalent and increasing. And many—especially the poor—lack good…
Two takes on the Oregon Medicaid study
In a study dubbed the “Oregon Health Insurance Experiment,” researchers compared clinical outcomes among two groups of adults in Oregon—half who were on Medicaid and half who weren’t. The newest findings from the study, published online May 2,…
Rising death rates at rural hospitals suggest need for improvements
Death rates are rising at rural hospitals that serve many poor and elderly people—and the reason may be their inability to provide the most up-to-date treatment, according to a new Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) study. Given…
Debating hospital readmissions penalties and ‘pay for performance’
A federal policy that penalizes hospitals where patients are more often rehospitalized within 30 days of being discharged unfairly targets hospitals that care for the greatest numbers of poor patients, say two Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)…
Experts discuss similarities, differences between U.S., India health systems
December 14, 2012 -- It should come as no surprise that the health care systems of the United States and India differ in many ways, but what may be surprising is the amount they have in common. This fact—and…
HSPH faculty members honored
November 30, 2012 -- Brendan Manning, associate professor of genetics and complex diseases, received a 2012 Senior Scholar in Aging Award from The Ellison Medical Foundation for his research on determining the genetic and metabolic relationship between the major longevity…
