The concept of patient-centered care (PCC) is an increasingly hot topic in the ongoing discourse surrounding quality improvement. In an effort to shed light on the current state of PCC as it pertains to cardiovascular medicine, the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF) released a special PCC-focused health policy statement on May 14.

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A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine has identified five specific hospital performance strategies that result in lower 30-day risk-standardized mortality rates (RSMRs) for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

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First Oral Janus Kinase Inhibitor for Rheumatoid Arthritis Clears Regulatory Hurdle¹

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting healthcare professionals and patients about injuries and death associated with the use of an experimental procedure sometimes called “liberation therapy” or the “liberation procedure” to treat chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI).

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In a surveillance study of more than 12 million bacteria, investigators at George Washington University found E. coli antimicrobial resistance to ciprofloxacin, the most commonly prescribed antimicrobial for urinary tract infections (UTI) in the United States, increased over fivefold from 2000 to 2010. In addition, nearly one in four isolates in 2010 were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) (Bactrim®; Septra®), the second most commonly prescribed drug for this infection. Conversely, resistance to nitrofurantoin (Macrodantin®) and ceftriaxone (Rocephin™) showed minimal change.

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A set of invasive and costly tests commonly done in women before surgery for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) may not be necessary, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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A research letter published in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that compared with younger men with a longer lifespan, older men with low-risk prostate cancer received increasingly aggressive curative treatment over a 10-year period. Curative treatment was defined as radiation therapy or prostatectomy within 9 months of being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Possible explanations for the treatment discrepancy include financial incentives, emergence of new therapies with perceived lower adverse effect profiles, and changes in patient preferences.

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New research finds a strong link between healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and patient readmission after an initial hospital stay. The findings, published in the June 2012 issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, suggest that reducing such infections could help reduce readmissions, considered to be a major driver of unnecessary healthcare spending and increased patient morbidity and mortality.

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The first guidelines for the screening and management of nephritis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have been issued by the American College of Rheumatology.

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed marketing of the first surgical instrument set that can be assembled and disassembled inside the body during surgery.

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