See best, worst Upstate NY hospitals for treating deadliest infection, SEPSIS

See best, worst Upstate NY hospitals for treating deadliest infection, SEPSIS

Sepsis is the most common cause of hospital deaths nationwide.

It is a life-threatening medical emergency that happens when an infection sets off a chain reaction throughout the body. 

Without fast treatment, sepsis can lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death. It kills more than 200,000 people annually in the US.

This month the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services began publishing sepsis treatment statistics for nearly all U.S. hospitals on its Hospital Compare website.

The statistics show the percentage of patients who got appropriate care for severe sepsis and septic shock. 

Text alerts help doctors to spot sepsis in time

A text message alert system could reduce deaths from sepsis afte trial at one hospital led to a sevenfold increase in the number of patients getting drugs in time.

Staff recorded a patient’s temperature, pulse, blood pressure and consciousness on a handheld device and if a pattern suggested that the patient might have sepsis, which can be fatal, their doctor or nurse was sent a text.

Sepsis deaths nearly triple in five years

SEPSIS deaths have risen by over a third in the last two years, with 15,722 deaths in hospitals recorded with sepsis as the leading cause nationally.

New Guideline for Minimally Conscious, Vegetative States Released

Three specialty societies have published a new practice guideline for managing prolonged disorders of consciousness (DoC), focusing on accurate diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.

The guidelines, issued by the American Academy of Neurology, the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM), and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, updates the earlier 1994 AAN practice parameter on persistent vegetative state and the 2002 case definition for the minimally conscious state (MCS).

Hospital Compare lifts the veil on sepsis care. Check your hospital’s score

Hospital Compare lifts the veil on sepsis care. Check your hospital’s score

More than a decade ago, a young man showed up in the emergency department of the hospital where I worked in St. Paul, Minnesota. He had been on a hunting trip with friends when he started to behave strangely and complained of a sore throat. As his symptoms worsened and he became confused, his friends sensed something was wrong and rushed him from the woods to the hospital.

At first, it wasn’t clear if his high fever and symptoms were tied to a terrible case of strep throat or to something worse. But as his heart rate sped up and he became increasingly confused, eventually losing consciousness and the ability to breathe, we knew it was sepsis.

Medicare's most despicable, indefensible fraud hotspot: Hospice care

• The number of hospices in the US increased by 43 percent between 2006 and 2016, but with the boom in end-of-life services, Medicare fraud also has risen.
• Medicare fraud and inaccurate billing costs the federal government health care program as much as $60 billion annually.
• The amount of Medicare beneficiaries receiving hospice care increased by about 53 percent between 2006 and 2016, with 1.4 million Medicare beneficiaries receiving hospice care in 2016. Spending increased by 81 percent to a level of $16.7 billion in 2016, according to a new report from the Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services.

CMS Updates Payment Policies for Medicare Hospice Providers

Two days after a critical report into the quality and care of hospices caring for Medicare beneficiaries, CMS released a final payment rule for 2019, giving providers an increase of $340 million, and said it will update the information on its Hospice Compare website. The increase is a 1.8% rise from 2018.

Giving Hospice MORE Money even after a critical report into the ROTTEN quality of care and FRAUD!!!! How stupid!!!!