Monthly Archives: March 2018

  Today's Top Story Study: Inappropriate CDS overrides may increase risk of adverse drug events Findings from a study published online in the journal BMJ Quality & Safety suggest that inappropriate overrides of clinical decision support (CDS) alerts in electronic health records may be linked to an increased risk of adverse drug events (ADEs). The authors conducted a prospective, observational study of 2,448 overridden CDS alerts across 712 unique patient encounters. They determined that 81.6 percent of overrides [...]

  Today's Top Story Study: How has Medicare reimbursement for orthopaedics shifted over time? A study published online in the journal Orthopedics examines trends in Medicare reimbursement for orthopaedic procedures. The researchers reviewed the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for Current Procedural Terminology code values for common orthopaedic and nonorthopaedic procedures from 2000 to 2016, and adjusted all prices to 2016-dollar values. They found that over the course of the study period, annual reimbursements decreased for all orthopaedic procedures [...]

  Today's Top Story Omnibus spending bill increases funding to HHS, CDC, and other health agencies Healthcare IT News reports that an omnibus spending bill passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Donald J. Trump includes, among other things: an additional $10 billion in funding to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) an increase of $1.1 billion in funding for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) a nearly [...]

  Today's Top Story Study: Revision THA rate fell for all age groups but one over six-year period A study published in the March 21 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery ( JBJS) finds that the rate of revision total hip arthroplasty (THA) significantly increased among patients 45 to 64 years of age from 2007 to 2013. The authors reviewed data on 320,496 THA revisions performed from 2007 through 2013 and found that, after adjustment [...]

  Today's Top Story Study: Chronic opioid therapy may increase risk of complication after one- to two-level PLF Data from a study published online in the journal Spine suggest that preoperative chronic opioid therapy may increase risk of complication and adverse events following primary one- to two-level posterior lumbar fusion (PLF) for degenerative spine disease. Members of the research team reviewed information on 24,610 patients (mean age 65.6 years), of whom 5,500 (22.3 percent) had documented opioid use [...]

  Today's Top Story White House opioid proposal to take three-pronged approach CNN reports that a Donald J. Trump administration plan to address the opioid epidemic will focus on three areas: tougher law enforcement, including stiffer penalties and possibly the death penalty for drug traffickers; improving the ability to fund treatment through the federal government; and prevention and education through a public service campaign. Read more…     Other News Study: Preoperative skin culture may predict Propionibacterium load [...]

  Today's Top Story MIPS reporting deadline is less than two weeks away The California Medical Association has issued a reminder that the March 31, 2018, deadline to submit 2017 data for the Medicare Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) is just two weeks away. The organization notes that the group reporting deadline has passed, but the deadline for all other MIPS reporting is less than two weeks away. Providers who are unsure of their MIPS reporting status should [...]