Download or read book The Business of Baby written by Jennifer Margulis and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-04-16 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An eye-opening work of investigative journalism that challenges common wisdom about pregnancy, childbirth, and the first year of a baby's life, showing how the family's well-being are often undermined by corporate profit margins and the private interests of the medical community.

Download or read book Registries for Evaluating Patient Outcomes written by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality/AHRQ and published by Government Printing Office. This book was released on 2014-04-01 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This User’s Guide is intended to support the design, implementation, analysis, interpretation, and quality evaluation of registries created to increase understanding of patient outcomes. For the purposes of this guide, a patient registry is an organized system that uses observational study methods to collect uniform data (clinical and other) to evaluate specified outcomes for a population defined by a particular disease, condition, or exposure, and that serves one or more predetermined scientific, clinical, or policy purposes. A registry database is a file (or files) derived from the registry. Although registries can serve many purposes, this guide focuses on registries created for one or more of the following purposes: to describe the natural history of disease, to determine clinical effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of health care products and services, to measure or monitor safety and harm, and/or to measure quality of care. Registries are classified according to how their populations are defined. For example, product registries include patients who have been exposed to biopharmaceutical products or medical devices. Health services registries consist of patients who have had a common procedure, clinical encounter, or hospitalization. Disease or condition registries are defined by patients having the same diagnosis, such as cystic fibrosis or heart failure. The User’s Guide was created by researchers affiliated with AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program, particularly those who participated in AHRQ’s DEcIDE (Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions About Effectiveness) program. Chapters were subject to multiple internal and external independent reviews.

Download or read book The Official Guide for Foreign Educated Nurses written by Barbara L. Nichols, MS, DHL, RN, FA and published by Springer Publishing Company. This book was released on 2009-07-13 with total page 427 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "[This book] will serve as your guide before and after you come to the United StatesÖ. [A] 'must-read' for every nurse who is contemplating migrating to the U.S." -Diana J. Mason, PhD, RN, FAAN This book is the only guide to the United States health care system for nurses immigrating to this country as well as foreign-educated nurses who are already here. The contributors provide a wealth of insight on how to address the challenges of being a foreign-educated nurse in the United States. Nurses can learn what is expected of them, how to prepare for the journey to the United States, and how to adapt to their new communities. The book can help foreign-educated nurses understand the health care system as well as their rights and roles within that system. Written in simple, accessible language, the guide will address the topics and issues that foreign-educated nurses care about, including living in the United States as a foreign-educated nurse, nursing practice in the United States, and the U.S. health care system. Key topics discussed: Preparing to leave the home country The process of entry into the U.S.A. Nursing education in the U.S.A. Understanding the U.S. health care system Employment challenges and guidelines for entering the U.S. workforce Foreign-educated nurses' roles, rights, and obligations Most importantly, this book will help foreign-educated nurses learn how to avoid being misunderstood by others, form enduring relationships with American colleagues, and join them in working to improve the quality of health care in this country--and worldwide.

Download or read book The Official Guide for Foreign Educated Allied Health Professionals written by Barbara L. Nichols, MS, DHL, RN, FA and published by Springer Publishing Company. This book was released on 2009-10-19 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This comprehensive book provides direction for foreign-educated allied healthcare professionalsÖ Given the complicated process of credentialing, certification, and visas, as well as the complex American healthcare system, this book proves to be a worthy resource." Score: 100, 5 stars --Doody's "Written by well-known experts, the Guide provides the reader with the most up-to-date information on topics ranging from the U.S. health care delivery system to employment opportunities, from entry into the United States to entry into professional practice." --Barbara Sanders, PhD, PT, SCS Associate Dean, College of Health Professions, Texas State University This book is the definitive guide to health care practice in the United States, written for foreign-educated allied health professionals interested in immigrating to the United States, those already here, and those looking to complete their education in the U.S.A. The contributors provide a wealth of insight on how to address the challenges of being a foreign-educated health professional in the United States. Health professionals can learn what is expected of them, how to prepare for the journey to this country, and how to adapt to their new communities. Written at a readable level for non-native English speakers, the Guide presents a comprehensive description of the major allied health professions and a clear overview of U.S. standards of education and practice. Additionally, readers will gain an understanding of their basic rights and roles in the U.S. healthcare system. Key Topics Discussed: Allied health practice in the United States The process of entry into the United States The U.S. health care system Guidelines for entering the U.S. workforce Most importantly, this book will help foreign-educated health professionals learn how to avoid being misunderstood by others, form enduring relationships with American colleagues, and join them in working to improve the quality of health care in this country and worldwide.

Download or read book Future Directions for the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2010-09-10 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the United States devotes extensive resources to health care, evaluating how successfully the U.S. system delivers high-quality, high-value care in an equitable manner is essential. At the request of Congress, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) annually produces the National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR) and the National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR). The reports have revealed areas in which health care performance has improved over time, but they also have identified major shortcomings. After five years of producing the NHQR and NHDR, AHRQ asked the IOM for guidance on how to improve the next generation of reports. The IOM concludes that the NHQR and NHDR can be improved in ways that would make them more influential in promoting change in the health care system. In addition to being sources of data on past trends, the national healthcare reports can provide more detailed insights into current performance, establish the value of closing gaps in quality and equity, and project the time required to bridge those gaps at the current pace of improvement.

Download or read book Jonas Introduction to the U S Health Care System 8th Edition written by Raymond L. Goldsteen, DrPH and published by Springer Publishing Company. This book was released on 2016-06-28 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Praise for the Seventh Edition: There are many books on the U.S. healthcare system, but few have the longevity of this one. It is easy to read and straightforward in its approach to difficult subjects such as the rise of the Tea Party and how that movement has impacted healthcare. This update is certainly needed as the landscape has changed dramatically since the previous edition was published. Doody's Medical Reviews The eighth edition of this best-selling text, valued for its concise and balanced introduction to the U.S. health care system, is entirely updated to reflect alterations to health care services, delivery, and financing resulting from the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The text describes how our health care system currently functions, the key forces that led to its structure, and the influences likely to shape the industry during the next 5 to 10 years. With an emphasis on policy development, the authors underscore the fluidity of the system and examine the debates and conflicts that have shaped health care changes and influenced American values and belief systems. Other new areas of focus include an assessment of who uses health care and in what way, health care trends, and a forecast for the health care system of the future. The text elucidates the basic building blocks of the health care system, including its components, organization, services, and financing. It describes the ongoing evolution of the system since the passage of the ACA, development of accountable care organizations (ACOs), and uneven acceptance of Medicaid expansion by states. Organized to facilitate understanding of concepts at work, the text provides health care students with a clear road map of the field in which they will practice, so they can position themselves to navigate the upcoming changes. New to the Eighth Edition: Entirely updated to address changes in health care services, delivery, and financing resulting from the ACA Describes influences that will shape the industry in years to come Emphasizes policy development Assesses current consumers of health care and how they use it Examines the debates and conflicts that have structured health care change Monitors health care trends Discusses the continuing evolution of our system since the ACA Explores the development of ACOs Reinforces information with illustrative tables and figures Key Features: Remains the most concise and balanced introduction to the U.S. health care system Ideal for use in undergraduate courses, in graduate survey courses, and in courses introducing the subject to medical students Includes review questions at the conclusion of each chapter Provides a full suite of ancillary materials for the educator, including an Instructor's Manual, PowerPoints, and a test bank

Download or read book Delivering Health Care in America written by Leiyu Shi and published by Jones & Bartlett Publishers. This book was released on 2011-09-24 with total page 661 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Given the recent and rapid developments in the delivery of health care in the United States, never has it been more important to have the most up-to-date resources for teaching students about this complex and dynamic industry. Now in its Fifth Edition, Delivering Health Care in America offers the most current and comprehensive overview of the basic structures and operations of the U.S. health system--from its historical origins and resources, to its individual services, cost, and quality. Using a unique systems approach, this bestselling text brings together an extraordinary breadth of information into a highly accessible, easy-to-read resource that clarifies the complexities of health care organization and finance, while presenting a solid overview of how the various components fit together. New to this Edition: New material on U.S. health reform New material on health reform in other countries New material on Healthy People 2020 New information on CMS s innovative healthcare delivery New information on community health centers Introduction of the medical home concept Data update throughout the book Latest research findings as applicable Enhanced content on The Patient Protection and Affordability Act of 2010 Enhanced content on clinical guidelines Enhanced content on public health system and services Enhanced content on vulnerable populations Enhanced content on primary care from the Global Perspective Revised perspectives on the future of health care in America Instructor Resources: Transition Guide, Instructor's Manual, PowerPoint Presentations, TestBank Student Resources: Glossary, Flash Cards, Crosswords, Matching Questions, Web Links"

Download or read book Developing a Protocol for Observational Comparative Effectiveness Research A User s Guide written by Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (U.S.) and published by Government Printing Office. This book was released on 2013-02-21 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This User’s Guide is a resource for investigators and stakeholders who develop and review observational comparative effectiveness research protocols. It explains how to (1) identify key considerations and best practices for research design; (2) build a protocol based on these standards and best practices; and (3) judge the adequacy and completeness of a protocol. Eleven chapters cover all aspects of research design, including: developing study objectives, defining and refining study questions, addressing the heterogeneity of treatment effect, characterizing exposure, selecting a comparator, defining and measuring outcomes, and identifying optimal data sources. Checklists of guidance and key considerations for protocols are provided at the end of each chapter. The User’s Guide was created by researchers affiliated with AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program, particularly those who participated in AHRQ’s DEcIDE (Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions About Effectiveness) program. Chapters were subject to multiple internal and external independent reviews. More more information, please consult the Agency website: www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov)

Download or read book Ahrq Annual Highlights 2008 written by U.s. Department of Health and Human Services and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-05-02 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. health care system continues to face challenges in improving the safety and quality of health care, ensuring access to care, increasing value for health care, reducing disparities, increasing the use of health information technology, and finding new avenues for translating research into practice. As reflected in the 2007 National Health Care Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report, the rate of quality improvement appears to be slowing. Overall, the quality of health care improved by an average of 1.5 percent per year between the years 2000 and 2005. This represents a decline when compared with the 2.3 percent average annual rate between 1994 and 2005. Quality in some areas has improved such as counseling to quit smoking. There has been some progress in reducing disparities as reflected in the elimination of the disparity between the rates of black and white hemodialysis patients who had adequate dialysis and reduced disparities in childhood vaccinations. However, measures of patient safety showed an average annual improvement of only 1 percent. As 1 of 12 agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the mission of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, effectiveness, and cost effectiveness of health care for all Americans. The Agency fulfills this mission by developing and working with the health care system to implement information that: Reduces the risk of harm from health care services by using evidence based research and technology to promote the delivery of the best possible care; Transforms the practice of health care to achieve wider access to effective services and reduce unnecessary health care costs; Improves health care outcomes by encouraging providers, consumers, and patients to use evidence based information to make informed treatment decisions. Ultimately, the Agency's goal is to improve the quality and safety of health care. It achieves this goal by translating research into improved health care practice and policy. Health care providers, patients, policymakers, payers, administrators, and others use AHRQ research findings to improve health care quality, accessibility, and outcomes of care. Disseminating AHRQ's research findings helps support a nation of healthier, more productive individuals and an enhanced return on the Nation's substantial investment in health care. This report presents key accomplishments, initiatives, and research findings from AHRQ's research portfolio during fiscal year 2008. The Agency's mission helps HHS achieve its strategic goals to improve the safety, quality, affordability, accessibility of health care; public health promotion and protection, disease prevention, and emergency preparedness; promote the economic and social wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities; and advance scientific and biomedical research and development related to health and human services. The Agency has a broad scope that touches on nearly every aspect of health care including: Clinical practice; Outcomes of care and effectiveness; Evidence based medicine; Primary care and care for priority populations; Health care quality; Patient safety/medical errors; Organization and delivery of care and use of health care resources; Health care costs and financing; Health care system and public health preparedness; Health information technology; Knowledge transfer.

Download or read book To Err Is Human written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2000-03-01 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Experts estimate that as many as 98,000 people die in any given year from medical errors that occur in hospitals. That's more than die from motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer, or AIDSâ€"three causes that receive far more public attention. Indeed, more people die annually from medication errors than from workplace injuries. Add the financial cost to the human tragedy, and medical error easily rises to the top ranks of urgent, widespread public problems. To Err Is Human breaks the silence that has surrounded medical errors and their consequenceâ€"but not by pointing fingers at caring health care professionals who make honest mistakes. After all, to err is human. Instead, this book sets forth a national agendaâ€"with state and local implicationsâ€"for reducing medical errors and improving patient safety through the design of a safer health system. This volume reveals the often startling statistics of medical error and the disparity between the incidence of error and public perception of it, given many patients' expectations that the medical profession always performs perfectly. A careful examination is made of how the surrounding forces of legislation, regulation, and market activity influence the quality of care provided by health care organizations and then looks at their handling of medical mistakes. Using a detailed case study, the book reviews the current understanding of why these mistakes happen. A key theme is that legitimate liability concerns discourage reporting of errorsâ€"which begs the question, "How can we learn from our mistakes?" Balancing regulatory versus market-based initiatives and public versus private efforts, the Institute of Medicine presents wide-ranging recommendations for improving patient safety, in the areas of leadership, improved data collection and analysis, and development of effective systems at the level of direct patient care. To Err Is Human asserts that the problem is not bad people in health careâ€"it is that good people are working in bad systems that need to be made safer. Comprehensive and straightforward, this book offers a clear prescription for raising the level of patient safety in American health care. It also explains how patients themselves can influence the quality of care that they receive once they check into the hospital. This book will be vitally important to federal, state, and local health policy makers and regulators, health professional licensing officials, hospital administrators, medical educators and students, health caregivers, health journalists, patient advocatesâ€"as well as patients themselves. First in a series of publications from the Quality of Health Care in America, a project initiated by the Institute of Medicine

Download or read book Business Periodicals Index written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 2892 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Communities in Action written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2017-04-27 with total page 583 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

Download or read book Finding What Works in Health Care written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2011-07-20 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Healthcare decision makers in search of reliable information that compares health interventions increasingly turn to systematic reviews for the best summary of the evidence. Systematic reviews identify, select, assess, and synthesize the findings of similar but separate studies, and can help clarify what is known and not known about the potential benefits and harms of drugs, devices, and other healthcare services. Systematic reviews can be helpful for clinicians who want to integrate research findings into their daily practices, for patients to make well-informed choices about their own care, for professional medical societies and other organizations that develop clinical practice guidelines. Too often systematic reviews are of uncertain or poor quality. There are no universally accepted standards for developing systematic reviews leading to variability in how conflicts of interest and biases are handled, how evidence is appraised, and the overall scientific rigor of the process. In Finding What Works in Health Care the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends 21 standards for developing high-quality systematic reviews of comparative effectiveness research. The standards address the entire systematic review process from the initial steps of formulating the topic and building the review team to producing a detailed final report that synthesizes what the evidence shows and where knowledge gaps remain. Finding What Works in Health Care also proposes a framework for improving the quality of the science underpinning systematic reviews. This book will serve as a vital resource for both sponsors and producers of systematic reviews of comparative effectiveness research.

Download or read book Patient Safety and Quality written by Ronda Hughes and published by Department of Health and Human Services. This book was released on 2008 with total page 592 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Nurses play a vital role in improving the safety and quality of patient car -- not only in the hospital or ambulatory treatment facility, but also of community-based care and the care performed by family members. Nurses need know what proven techniques and interventions they can use to enhance patient outcomes. To address this need, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), with additional funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has prepared this comprehensive, 1,400-page, handbook for nurses on patient safety and quality -- Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. (AHRQ Publication No. 08-0043)." - online AHRQ blurb, http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nurseshdbk/

Download or read book Race Ethnicity and Language Data written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2009-12-30 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The goal of eliminating disparities in health care in the United States remains elusive. Even as quality improves on specific measures, disparities often persist. Addressing these disparities must begin with the fundamental step of bringing the nature of the disparities and the groups at risk for those disparities to light by collecting health care quality information stratified by race, ethnicity and language data. Then attention can be focused on where interventions might be best applied, and on planning and evaluating those efforts to inform the development of policy and the application of resources. A lack of standardization of categories for race, ethnicity, and language data has been suggested as one obstacle to achieving more widespread collection and utilization of these data. Race, Ethnicity, and Language Data identifies current models for collecting and coding race, ethnicity, and language data; reviews challenges involved in obtaining these data, and makes recommendations for a nationally standardized approach for use in health care quality improvement.

Download or read book Evidence Based Medicine and the Changing Nature of Health Care written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2008-09-06 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing on the work of the Roundtable on Evidence-Based Medicine, the 2007 IOM Annual Meeting assessed some of the rapidly occurring changes in health care related to new diagnostic and treatment tools, emerging genetic insights, the developments in information technology, and healthcare costs, and discussed the need for a stronger focus on evidence to ensure that the promise of scientific discovery and technological innovation is efficiently captured to provide the right care for the right patient at the right time. As new discoveries continue to expand the universe of medical interventions, treatments, and methods of care, the need for a more systematic approach to evidence development and application becomes increasingly critical. Without better information about the effectiveness of different treatment options, the resulting uncertainty can lead to the delivery of services that may be unnecessary, unproven, or even harmful. Improving the evidence-base for medicine holds great potential to increase the quality and efficiency of medical care. The Annual Meeting, held on October 8, 2007, brought together many of the nation's leading authorities on various aspects of the issues - both challenges and opportunities - to present their perspectives and engage in discussion with the IOM membership.

Download or read book Closing the Quality Gap written by Kaveh G. Shojania and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 7 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: