Medication adherence may not be a useful performance measure, based on results of a study that assessed the association between medication adherence and blood pressure control at the clinic level. Treatment intensification may be a suitable metric for gauging quality, but the authors cautioned that it may prove difficult for some providers to capture the data accurately and may have unintended adverse consequences in some hypertensive patients.

A new study confirms the suspicion that infections contracted in hospitals correlate strongly with readmissions, prompting the authors to recommend that patients discharged with positive clinical cultures receive additional planning resources before heading home.

The inception of national incident reporting systems in other medical specialties and high-risk industries has produced demonstrable improvements in safety, and radiology could realize similar benefits if the profession implemented such a system. However, medical imaging lags behind in adoption of a national system, according the authors of an article published in the May issue of Journal of American College of Radiology.

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) has submitted its comments on the proposed rules for Stage 2 meaningful use, calling for more time to allow healthcare organizations to better prepare.

Physicians and hospitals that treat adults with heart failure (HF) have a new set of performance measures to help improve the quality of care for their patients. In an interview, writing committee co-chair Robert O. Bonow, MD, discussed key changes in the measures, including efforts to minimize the reporting burden and maximize the use of EHRs.

The National Quality Forum's (NQF) board of directors has endorsed two measures that address all-cause unplanned readmissions in hospitals.

Cambashi, an IT and production consultancy firm with corporate offices in the U.K. and U.S., is asking medical device manufacturers around the world to complete an online survey. The firm hopes the results will help point the way to more nimble production of safe and effective products in highly regulated environments.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has corrected the Stage 2 meaningful use Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.