Guides/Reports
American Hospital Association guides and reports for members and the health care field.
Objective: Rates of venous thromboembolism as high as 58 percent have been reported after trauma, but there is no widely accepted screening protocol. If Medicare adds venous thromboembolism to the list of 'preventable complications,' they will no longer reimburse for treatment, which could have…
This discussion paper analyzes factors that attribute to better outcomes at lower costs. The authors have compiled a checklist that addresses: Foundational elements; Infrastructure fundamentals; Care delivery priorities; and Reliability and feedback. Each section is illustrated with case studies…
The results from a 32-month long national collaborative, Expecting Success: Excellence in Cardiac Care show that collection of self-reported patient data on race, ethnicity, and language can be applied with quality improvement techniques to benefit cardiovascular care outcomes for minority patients…
This guide provides techniques, case studies and guiding principles from various fields of expertise to inform health impact assessments. It is aimed at health impact assessment practioners, community groups or local stakeholders who want to influence community health.
This report utilizes Dartmouth Atlas data to show differences in resource utilization among the 22 academic medical centers most commonly matched into by Dartmouth medical students pursuing a residency in internal medicine. The variables selected specifically measure resources used in the last six…
Opportunities to Improve Quality, Costs and Outcomes
Health reform creates new impetus and opportunity for better managing the care delivered to individuals with behavioral health conditions. Expansion of health insurance generally, along with improved coverage of behavioral health treatment under parity laws, will broaden access to needed services.
One in four Americans experiences a mental illness or substance abuse disorder each year, and the majority also has a comorbid physical health condition. In 2009, more than 2 million discharges from community hospitals were for a primary diagnosis of mental illness or substance abuse disorder.…
Congress long ago determined that Medicare patients should be required to share in the cost of their care through deductibles and coinsurance. Many Medicare beneficiaries purchase Medigap policies or have other supplemental health insurance that covers their coinsurance and deductibles. But many…