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Massachusetts General Hospital

Latest Headlines

Latest Headlines

Partners attributes drop in operating income to EHR writeoff

Partners' operating revenue for the quarter grew 8% to $2.2 billion, and its patient service revenue jumped 9% to $1.7 billion, "reflecting increases in patient activities and rates," according to the Partners announcement.

Wake up your zombie workforce to patient safety risks

A  study  in published in the  Archives of Surgery  uncovered more evidence that sleepy surgeons are a threat to patient safety--and the news is making its way through the mainstream media (and reaching your patients). On average, a  surgical resident gets 5.3 hours of sleep a day , according to a study of orthopedic surgical residents at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, with some residents only getting 2.8 hours a night.  What's even more alarming is that during a quarter of their waking hours, surgical residents' fatigue is akin to being legally drunk, meaning that they are functioning at 70% mental effectiveness (correlating with a blood alcohol level of 0.08%). We wouldn't let a drunk physician into the operating room. Why would we tolerate a sleepy surgeon?

Docs not sold on proton therapy

The high cost of proton beam therapy and limited data on its effectiveness as a cancer treatment has providers hesitant to embrace the technology, a new KLAS report concludes.

Surgeons still tired despite duty hour limits

Fatigued residents have a 22 percent greater risk of causing a medical error than alert, well-rested doctors, according to a new study, which found surgeons were tired half of their waking hours, operating on less than 80 percent mental effectiveness. What's more, a quarter of the time their fatigue was tantamount to being legally drunk.

Medical imaging incident reporting system could boost patient safety

From doctors who don't follow imaging protocols to hospitals that cut radiology staffing corners to save money , the dangers of radiation overexposure continue to dog healthcare. Researchers writing

EHRs hold promise for genetic testing research

Electronic health records hold promise in augmenting current studies of genetic testing, according to a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. The

Beth Israel, Massachusetts hospitals test liability reform

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Massachusetts General Hospital and Baystate Health are among three major health systems in the state that are testing a "disclosure, apology and offer"

Fewer lab tests sought by docs with HIE access

Physicians who had access to a health information exchange (HIE) ordered fewer lab tests for patients with prior test results after the HIE was formed than they did previously, according to a new

Online databases display cancer cells' sensitivities to drugs

Personalized cancer care received another shot in the arm this week when researchers published free online databases outlining potential cancer vulnerabilities to various drugs. The databases were

Harvard Pilgrim excludes high-priced hospitals in new limited network

Harvard Pilgrim has created a new limited network of moderately priced providers that reduces insurance costs by 10 percent. The insurer's decision is the latest move by the Massachusetts healthcare