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Epstein named to new GAO Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Board of Governors
HSPH's Arnold Epstein, chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management and John H. Foster professor of health policy and management, is one of 19 members appointed to the Board of Governors for the Government Accountability Office's…
Public housing, private vice
[Fall 2010] Should smoking be banned in people’s homes? Smoking is banned in the common areas of Yelena Lantsman’s home, a public-housing high-rise for the elderly in Brookline, Massachusetts, where she has lived for the last eighteen years.…

Surgical checklist improves quality of care and reduces costs
Last year, Atul Gawande, an associate professor at HSPH and a surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), and colleagues demonstrated that when surgical teams use a simple checklist, avoidable complications plummet and lives are saved. In a new…
Medical liability costs in U.S. pegged at 2.4 percent of annual health care spending
$55.6 Billion Price Tag Large, But Not a Key Driver of Total Health Care Spending For immediate release: September 7, 2010 Boston, MA – How much do medical liability costs—including the costs of malpractice insurance, claims and legal…

U.S. hospitals making only modest gains in adoption of electronic health records
Few Meet Federal Guidelines for "Meaningful Use,” Putting Potential Stimulus Funding at Risk For immediate release: Thursday, August 26, 2010 Boston, MA – Transforming the U.S. health care system from paper-based to electronic-based may improve health care quality…

Health care: How can medicine help terminally ill patients and their families
The U.S. health care system works assiduously to save lives. The system is not as adept at helping terminally ill patients and their families make the best of the time they have left. Atul Gawande, associate professor in…
Dean Frenk to join Commonwealth Board
Dean Julio Frenk has been elected to The Commonwealth Fund Board of Directors. The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation that aims to promote a high performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater…
Health policy news: Creating affordable global health workforce targets
July 20, 2010 -- Global health workforce targets set by the World Health Organization are unrealistic for many low-income developing countries, according to an article in the July 2010 issue of Health Affairs by Harvard School of Public…

Health care reform news: paying for healthy lifestyles
Visiting scientist Harald Schmidt is quoted in a Reuters article about how local authorities, employers and health insurers in some countries are experimenting with paying people to encourage healthier lifestyles. Payments are made to discourage risky behaviors such…
Puffing in public housing poses serious health risks to tenants
Researchers examine risks and consequences of cigarette smoking to all inhabitants of multiple-unit housing; challenge status quo BOSTON, MA -- In an effort to protect children from harmful tobacco smoke exposure, health and medical professionals are pushing for a ban…
