A new study in JAMA Internal Medicine says that hospitals with a higher percentage than normal of patients cared for in intensive-care units are more likely to have higher costs and perform more invasive procedures with no improvement in patient mortality rates compared with hospitals with less ICU usage.
Drumming up revenue?
To read the JAMA Internal Medicine article, please hit this link.
Hospitals are mining big data in intensive-care units to try to get better outcomes.
The Wall Street Journal reports:
“The big-data approach being tested by some hospitals … sifts through years of medical records and information from multiple sources—including data sets that may never have been linked in a single analysis before—to find correlations no one knew existed, and thus discover more trouble spots and more potential solutions.”
The Wall Street Journal reports:
“Hospitals are redesigning intensive-care units to make them safer and less dehumanizing, with a new focus on engaging families and patients in decisions.
“ICU teams are testing novel approaches to solicit input from patients and their families, and to honor their preferences and goals for care. Many are using apps and devices to link up medical teams with families. Evidence has shown that patient and family participation can improve safety and outcomes, and hospitals are putting a failure to treat patients with respect and dignity on a par with other preventable medical complications.”
