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• Are We Finally Entering the Golden Age of Healthcare Transparency?

  When will patients start reviewing quality data before choosing their doctors and hospitals? The answer has been “soon” for several years, but “soon” may finally be the right answer. If you doubt it, check out the Commonwealth Fund’s new site, “Why Not Read More... Posted Sat, Dec 27 2008 3:15 PM by Bob Wachter | 7 Comments Filed under: Hospital Care, Pay-for-performance, Transparency and Reporting, Quality Measurement, Information Technology, Health Policy, Media/Press Coverage

• Resident Duty Hours and Patient Safety: Did The IOM Get It Right?

  The Institute of Medicine just released its long-awaited report on trainee duty hours. It is well researched and balanced, and its recommendations appropriately reflect what we know vs. what we believe. Now the fun begins.Let’s start with a little background, Read More... Posted Sat, Dec 06 2008 5:23 PM by Bob Wachter | 10 Comments Filed under: Hospital Care, Medical Education/Academia, Hospitalists/Hospital Medicine, Patient Safety/Medical Errors, Health Policy, Media/Press Coverage

• Can a Hospital Afford to Share Its Warts With the Public?

  Paul Levy, the blogging CEO at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, has staked his – and his hospital’s – reputation on a culture of transparency. Although no doubt partly driven by Paul’s ethical compass, he must also hope that his unique brand Read More... Posted Sun, Nov 02 2008 4:56 PM by Bob Wachter | 1 Comments Filed under: Hospital Care, Transparency and Reporting, Health Policy, Media/Press Coverage

• NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” Featuring Don Berwick and Yours Truly

  Medicare is now reporting actual risk-adjusted mortality rates for pneumonia, MI, and heart failure. The topic must be important, since "Talk of the Nation" spent 30 minutes yesterday interviewing Don Berwick and me about it… on the day of Hillary’s speech! Read More... Posted Wed, Aug 27 2008 7:08 PM by Bob Wachter | 2 Comments Filed under: Quality Improvement, Hospital Care, Transparency and Reporting, Quality Measurement, Information Technology, Health Policy, Media/Press Coverage

• Post-Vacation Potpourri: Items Interesting, International, and Ineffably Sad

  Just returning from a work-acation, including a talk in Buenos Aires. Today I’ll briefly cover a few items: Medicare’s final “no pay” list; patient safety in Argentina; a great post on hospital finances; and one of the saddest things I’ve ever experienced. Read More... Posted Thu, Aug 14 2008 3:07 AM by Bob Wachter | 0 Comments Filed under: Quality Improvement, Hospital Care, Transparency and Reporting, Quality Measurement, Patient Safety/Medical Errors, Health Policy, Media/Press Coverage

• Will Knols and Blogs Upend the Cozy World of Medical Publishing?

  Yesterday, Google launched Knol, immediately branded as Google’s answer to Wikipedia. As healthcare advisor to the project, I’ll say a few words about Knol, but focus on how it – and other forms of electronic self-publishing – may signal the end of medical Read More... Posted Fri, Jul 25 2008 6:03 AM by Bob Wachter | 2 Comments Filed under: Medical Education/Academia, Information Technology, Industry/Pharma, Health Policy, Media/Press Coverage

• The Long Awaited Crisis in Primary Care: It’s Heeere!

  I recently heard from a UCSF physician who was flabbergasted when he sought an appointment in our general medicine practice and was told it was “closed.” Turns out we’re not alone: there are also no new PCP slots available at Mass General. The primary Read More... Posted Sun, Jul 20 2008 7:36 PM by Bob Wachter | 9 Comments Filed under: Medical Education/Academia, Ambulatory/Primary Care, Health Policy, Media/Press Coverage

• Why Diagnostic Errors Don’t Get Any Respect… And What Can Be Done About It

  I gave a keynote yesterday to the first-ever meeting on “Diagnostic Error in Medicine.” I hope the confab helps put diagnostic errors on the safety map. But, as Ricky Ricardo would say, the experts and advocates in the audience have some ‘splainin’ to Read More... Posted Mon, Jun 02 2008 4:20 AM by Bob Wachter | 5 Comments Filed under: Quality Measurement, Medical Education/Academia, Diagnosis/Clinical Reasoning, Information Technology, Patient Safety/Medical Errors, Industry/Pharma, Health Policy, Media/Press Coverage

• The Funniest Satire on Interoperability You've Ever Seen (Trust Me)

  There is nothing better than a good satire to capture certain (uncomfortable) truths – just ask any of the presidential candidates after an episode of Saturday Night Live. So check out this hilarious spoof on information technology interoperability. As Read More... Posted Thu, May 29 2008 8:54 AM by Bob Wachter | 2 Comments Filed under: Information Technology, Industry/Pharma, Health Policy, Media/Press Coverage

• Oprah, Obama, Putin, Springsteen… and Pronovost

  Last week, Time Magazine named the 100 most influential people in the world. Among the luminaries was Dr. Peter Pronovost of Johns Hopkins. I thought it was an inspired choice. The modern patient safety field has been blessed with a number of important Read More... Posted Sun, May 11 2008 7:28 AM by Bob Wachter | 2 Comments Filed under: Quality Measurement, Patient Safety/Medical Errors, Health Policy, Media/Press Coverage

• Should Hospitals Install Bar Coding or CPOE First? Why I’ve Changed My Tune

  This is one of the most commonly asked questions in IT World, and my answer has always been “CPOE first” – largely because that has always been David Bates’s (the world’s leading IT/safety researcher) answer. But I’ve changed my mind. Here’s why. Before Read More... Posted Fri, May 02 2008 9:00 PM by Bob Wachter | 9 Comments Filed under: Hospital Care, Information Technology, Patient Safety/Medical Errors, Industry/Pharma, Nurses/Nursing, Health Policy, Media/Press Coverage

• Should Patient Satisfaction Scores Be Adjusted for Where Patients Shop?

  Last week, Medicare added patient satisfaction data to its hospital reporting website. This is progress, but it raises an interesting question: should patient satisfaction scores be case-mix adjusted? The motivation to include patient satisfaction data Read More... Posted Sun, Apr 13 2008 4:03 AM by Bob Wachter | 1 Comments Filed under: Hospital Care, Pay-for-performance, Transparency and Reporting, Quality Measurement, Hospitalists/Hospital Medicine, Information Technology, Health Policy, Media/Press Coverage

• A Quick Thanks for a Very Nice Honor

  Today, Modern Healthcare released its yearly list of the 50 most influential physician-execs in the U.S. I have to believe that you, my readers, are at least partly responsible (along with my parents and their pals in Boca) for my #19 position, the highest Read More... Posted Tue, Apr 08 2008 5:35 AM by Bob Wachter | 5 Comments Filed under: Medical Education/Academia, Health Policy, Media/Press Coverage

• Did I Violate Federal Regulations Today? (I Hope So)

  The patient safety and quality movements are precious and fragile. Just as IOM reports I and II spawned these modern, life-saving revolutions, the Federal shutdown of the Hopkins/Michigan checklist program may help extinguish them. After all, Tipping Read More... Posted Wed, Jan 16 2008 7:39 AM by Bob Wachter | 8 Comments Filed under: Quality Improvement, Hospital Care, Quality Measurement, Medical Education/Academia, Patient Safety/Medical Errors, Health Policy, Media/Press Coverage

• Bureaucracy Run Amok: Can Checklists Kill?

  As you may know, I’ve argued that that the quality and safety of healthcare have traditionally been underregulated. But regulators are like patients with Parkinson’s: it’s hard to get them unglued, but once they’re moving, it’s hard to stop them. Welcome Read More... Posted Fri, Jan 11 2008 4:16 AM by Bob Wachter | 10 Comments Filed under: Quality Improvement, Hospital Care, Quality Measurement, Medical Education/Academia, Patient Safety/Medical Errors, Health Policy, Media/Press Coverage