Pennsylvania'a Focus on Heart Attack - grading the scorecard
Article Abstract:
The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council issued a study "Focus on Heart Attack" in June of 1996, comparing mortality rates from heart attack among hospitals and physician groups. This type of report represents a trend toward risk-assessment, cost-containment, and quality promotion by insurers and insurance purchasing groups. Improved clinical definitions, identification of responsible physicians, control for complications, and other improvements in the design of such studies will produce more valid information for use in comparing outcomes and identifying the best doctors.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1998
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Risk stratification after myocardial infarction
Article Abstract:
People admitted to a hospital with suspected heart attack should be carefully evaluated so that diagnostic and therapeutic procedures can be tailored to their risk of death. Patients who have recurring chest pain, congestive heart failure or arrhythmia will probably benefit from aggressive treatment. However those with few complications have a low risk of death and may be discharged after a few days provided their heart function is relatively normal. All patients should receive counseling about modifiable risk factors for heart disease.
Publication Name: Annals of Internal Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0003-4819
Year: 1997
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Outcome of acute myocardial infarction according to the specialty of the admitting physician
Article Abstract:
Heart attack patients who are treated by a cardiologist may have higher survival rates than those treated by a general practitioner. Researchers analyzed mortality rates and resource use in 220,535 heart attack patients. Medicare patients in the care of cardiologists had longer hospital stays, used more tests and medications, and were more likely to survive to one year. Shifting medical care from specialists to general practitioners may reduce costs at the expense of survival.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1996
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
- Abstracts: Even insomniacs can learn to sleep better. The down side of cyberspace support. Patients go on-line for support
- Abstracts: Perinatal HIV-1 Transmission, Part 3. Perinatal HIV-1 Transmission, Part 4. Obstetric factors and mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1: the French perinatal cohorts
- Abstracts: Milk of human kindness is back in fashion. Losing contact with ground control. All the right noises
- Abstracts: Redefinition of cutaneous lymphatic drainage with the use of lymphoscintigraphy for malignant melanoma. Lymphatic mapping and sentinel node biopsy in the patient with breast cancer
- Abstracts: Assessing progression of patellofemoral osteoarthritis: a comparison between two radiographic methods. Intra-articular corticosteroids are effective in osteoarthritis but there are no clinical predictors of response