Big Data Series Part IV of IV: Application of "Big Data" in Today's Healthcare Environment
This fourth, and final, installment of a four part series evaluates the practical applications of big data within the current healthcare environment, and the implications for healthcare delivery and market stakeholders. (Read more...)

Infection Control and "Never Events" Series Part IV of IV: The Future of Patient Safety for Healthcare Stakeholders
The four part HC Topics Series: Infection Control and Patient Safety in an Era of "Never Events" examines the history and development of the current patient safety and infection control environments within the context of current regulations regarding mandatory public reporting and the reimbursement impact of never events. Part IV discusses the forthcoming changes to the patient safety and infection control arenas under healthcare reform, and the potential impact of those changes for patients, providers, and other healthcare entities. (Read more...)

Medical Reversals: The Challenge of Replacing Outdated Medicine
A recent study found that medical reversal-when a medical practice or test is discovered to either not be more effective than its predecessor, or actually cause more harm than traditional or existing practices, it can fall from favor-is a common occurrence. Despite the risks associated with utilizing a "reversed" practice, the process of convincing the medical field to disengage with highly utilized practices has been proven to be difficult. However, it is likely that as the U.S. medical system continues to work through the challenges of containing cost and improving efficiency of care, that the effective use of medical reversal data may be increasingly used to inform a growing trend in evidence-based medical practice. (Read more...)

Battling Public Concerns Regarding Healthcare Costs
The healthcare industry, which accounted for 17.9% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product in 2011, is under ever-increasing scrutiny in this new era of U.S. healthcare reform. Among the high profile topics include addressing administrative and provider errors and inefficiency; lagging care coordination and delivery; reducing unnecessary care; reducing the incidence of preventable conditions; continuing to combat and reduce fraud and abuse; and, addressing failures and transparency of pricing. Regarding the latter, there has been a significant amount of press recently with regard to what is coined as "sticker shock" associated with the cost of care. While many of these topics are being addressed by various segments of the healthcare reform legislation, efforts to standardize and sustain consistent improvements in controlling hospital costs and the overuse of medical procedures and tests, as evidence by the growing body of criticism, still face immense challenges. (Read more...)