6 Stories You Need: ACA Survives, Second-Victim Programs, High Risk Op’s at Low-Vol Hospitals…

We know you’re busy, but we don’t want you to miss important healthcare quality and patient safety news. Here’s a roundup of stories you may have missed but need to take a look at before calling it a week. (Sign up on the right if you’d like these news alerts delivered to you.)

1. Supreme Court Upholds ACA Subsidies in All States
   For a second time, President Obama’s Affordable Care Act has withstood scrutiny by the nation’s highest court. Learn more about the justice’s 6 to 3 ruling and read reactions from leaders representing some of healthcare’s largest professional organizations.
2. Program helps caregivers under stress after errors
   Two hospitals in Baltimore are ready to launch new programs aimed at helping healthcare professionals heal from emotional and physical wounds experienced when medical errors are made. Learn more about what Dr. Albert Wu, a researcher with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, termed “second-victim” phenomenon two decades ago.
3. CMS Predictive Readmission Models ‘Not Very Good’
   A new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine is raising questions about the criteria Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is using to predict readmissions. Read more about the function vs. comorbidity debate here.
4. Risks Are High at Low-Volume Hospitals
   Certain surgeries like hip and knee replacements, which seem fairly commonplace today, remain risky at hospitals where they don’t happen every day. Take a look at recent data that suggests choosing a high-volume hospital can be a life-saving move.
5. CHIME letter to Congress on improving healthcare interoperability: 13 key recommendations
   Review the list of recommendations sent to the Senate Committee on Finance, by leaders from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, highlighting ways that legislation regarding interoperability could impact chronic disease management.
6. In Conversation with…Maureen Bisognano
   Dr. Robert Wachter, world-renowned safety expert and founder and leader of the hospitalist movement interviewed Maureen Bisognano, President and CEO with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, about IHI’s work on patient safety – past, present and future. Read the text and listen to an audio excerpt from Wachter’s in-depth interview on AHRQ’s Web M&M website.