Articles
Governance Effectiveness, Nurses, Operational Excellence, Care Delivery, Physician Workforce, Quality & Patient Safety, Strategic Planning, Issues & Trends, Workforce
Data about obesity, schizophrenia, patient lies
Our Obesity Problem
36.5% of American adults are obese.
Here’s how it breaks down by age.
Governance Effectiveness
New members of the AHAs Committee on Governance
The American Hospital Association announced appointments to the 2016 Committee on Governance, a specialty committee of the board that provides input for the AHA’s policy development, leads involvement of hospital trustees in grassroots advocacy, provides advice on trustee initiatives and enhances involvement of trustees in the AHA.
Margaret Wagner Dahl is the 2016 COG chair and Andrew M. Stern is chair-elect.
Delivery System Transformation, Governance Effectiveness, Strategic Planning, Leveraging Technology, Issues & Trends
AHA annual meeting, governance white paper, grants for rural telemedicine
The American Hospital Association will hold its Annual Membership Meeting May 1–4 in Washington, D.C. The event brings together hospital and health system leaders from around the country to hear from some of the top names in health care, government and media. One track will focus on issues of particular interest to trustees and will feature well-known experts like Jamie Orlikoff, John Combes, M.D., JoAnn McNutt, Rick de Filippi and Constance Howes. On the final day, members will travel to Capitol Hill to meet with their state legislative delegations.
Delivery System Transformation, Financial Oversight, Governance Effectiveness, Operational Excellence, Strategic Planning, Leveraging Technology, Issues & Trends
Two to get started
When you agreed to serve on the board of a hospital, you probably knew that health care was changing. But I bet you didn't anticipate how sweeping that transformation would be — from how providers are reimbursed to how and where care is delivered; from medical technology that's continuously evolving to breakthrough treatments for all kinds of diseases; from skyrocketing drug prices to the rise of consumerism.
Delivery System Transformation, Nurses, Operational Excellence, Care Delivery, Quality & Patient Safety, Strategic Planning, Leveraging Technology, Issues & Trends, Workforce
Health care data on infant mortality, online health information, nurses, drunk driving
Infant mortality hits record low
The U.S. mortality rate fell 2.3% in 2014, to a record low 582.1 deaths per 100,000 live births. The drop was led by a 13.5% decline in deaths from respiratory illness.
Care Delivery, Quality & Patient Safety, Strategic Planning, Issues & Trends
Children Ages 3 - 5 Are Most Exposed to Secondhand Smoke
Misprescribed in Pediatrics
50%: An estimated half of antibiotic prescriptions given during pediatric office visits are inappropriate.
Source: Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, Aug. 20, 2015
Delivery System Transformation, Governance Effectiveness, Operational Excellence, Care Delivery, Quality & Patient Safety, Strategic Planning, Issues & Trends
Collaborative Leader Takes Home Shirley Ann Munroe Award
The American Hospital Association last month awarded its 2015 Shirley Ann Munroe Leadership Award to Vince Oliver, CEO and superintendent of Island Hospital in Anacortes, Wash. The award honors small or rural hospital leaders who have improved health care delivery in their communities through innovative and progressive efforts.
Delivery System Transformation, Governance Effectiveness, Nurses, Operational Excellence, Care Delivery, Physician Workforce, Quality & Patient Safety, Strategic Planning, Issues & Trends, Workforce
Hospital-acquired conditions drop 17%
Hospitals are making “substantial progress in improving safety,” according to an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality report that found a 17 percent decline in hospital-acquired conditions from 2010 to 2014. That saved 87,000 lives and nearly $20 billion in health costs. HACs include adverse drug events, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central line-associated bloodstream infections and pressure ulcers, among others.
Care Delivery, Quality & Patient Safety, Strategic Planning, Issues & Trends
Diabetes rates decline
The number of new cases of diabetes diagnosed in the United States declined significantly from 2009 to 2014 after steadily rising for 25 years, according to data released in December by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The country recorded 1.4 million new cases in 2014, down from 1.7 million in 2008, a decline of about 20 percent. The drop was largest among whites, who had a lower incidence rate overall.