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THE NATION'S HEALTH CARE NEWS IN FIVE MINUTES APRIL 18, 2008

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Daily Briefing is pleased to introduce its new look, designed to offer a range of content in an easy-to-read e-mail. Questions or comments? Please e-mail dailybriefing@advisory.com. Orthopedics programs to see continued inpatient growth Although inpatient orthopedic volumes will continue their long-term upward trend in the coming years, the projected growth rate is somewhat below what the market has experienced recently. The Innovations Center attributes the slowing momentum in part to competition from outside the general acute-care hospital sector and outmigration to the ambulatory surgery setting. To learn more, please read the Innovations Center’s Future of Orthopedics study.  More » CMS: Awards grants to 20 states to help decrease improper ED visits CMS yesterday announced that it will award $50 million to 20 states to help improve access to primary care for Medicaid beneficiaries in an effort to curb costly ED visits by patients with non-emergent medical needs.  More » DOD: Launches project to improve treatment for wounded soldiers As part of a first-of-its-kind effort to address the challenges of caring for the waves of injured soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the Department of Defense yesterday announced the creation of the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine, which will tap two multi-institutional civilian consortia to develop and test new therapies for wounded service members.  More » CDC: Flu season worst in four years, and vaccine worst match in a decade CDC officials have confirmed that the current flu season has been the worst in four years, partly because this season’s vaccine proved ineffective against the virus strains responsible for most flu cases, the Associated Press reports.  More » MI patients: Those admitted on weekends less likely to survive, study finds Patients admitted to the hospital on the weekend for myocardial infarction are less likely to survive compared with patients admitted on a weekday, according to new research presented this week at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting.  More » Clinical Strategy Watch: Check-in kiosks curb ED wait times Hoping to speed triage for the 10,500 patients treated monthly at its ED, Dallas-based Parkland Health and Hospital System installed self-serve ED check-in kiosks that prompt patients to enter basic personal and medical information—a system that has reduced the average ED wait time by one hour.  More » Regional News Around the nation: Bite-sized hospital and health industry news from California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Louisiana, and Missouri.  More » Et cetera: San Francisco restaurants adding health care surcharges to bills The ripple effects of a recent city mandate requiring San Francisco restaurants to provide health care coverage for employees are showing up on some bills as establishments try to recover some of the cost from patrons.  More » Achieving rapid recovery of volumes New toolkit provides a menu of 24 tactics that can enhance the growth of profitable volumes within three months. The kit offers detailed practice descriptions and fast-track implementation guidance for each tactic.  More » Advisory board academies launch goal alignment workshop The Advisory Board Academies is pleased to announce the launch of its latest workshop: Strategic Goal Alignment: Aligning Strategy and Operations Through Effective Performance Management.  More » Senior executive session: How exemplary leaders drive high performance On June 11 to June 12 in Chicago, the Advisory Board Academies will present critical lessons on how great leadership makes for great performance in health care organizations.  More » Most popular Health Care Advisory Board/Innovations Center studies 1. Achieving Service Line Excellence: Best Practices for Creating a High-Performance Service Line Infrastructure 2. Throughput Gap Analysis: Member Toolkit for Diagnosing Performance Improvement Opportunities 3. The Virtual Laboratory: Point of Care Testing and Automation in Tomorrow’s Labs 4. Overcoming Ruinous Competition: Emerging Models for Hospital-Physician Alignment 5. Hospital of the Future: Lessons for Inpatient Facility Planning and Strategy

Names in the News Case Western Reserve University (Ohio) • Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Calif.) • Children’s National Medical Center (D.C.) Cleveland Clinic (Ohio) •  Manchester Memorial Hospital (Conn.) •  Massachusetts General/Harvard Medical School Parkland Health and Hospital System (Texas) •  Rutgers University (N.J.) • SSM HealthCare-St. Louis (Mo.) St. Charles Parish Hospital (La.) • St. Joseph Hospital (Mo.) • St. Joseph Medical Center (Mo.) • University of Kansas Medical Center University of Pennsylvania •  University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (Pa.) • Wake Forest University (N.C.)

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