Medtronic voluntarily disclosed payments of $15.7 million in royalties and consulting fees to nearly 230 physicians in the first quarter of 2010, according to a report by MinnPost.

HHS and CMS announced a new state-based Multi-payer Advanced Primary Care Practice Demonstration project, in which Medicare will join Medicaid and private insurers to pilot state-based efforts promoting the medical home model.

The Health Research and Educational Trust, an arm of the American Hospital Association, has released a guide that outlines best workforce practices that lead to quality improvement in the healthcare setting, according to a news release.

Staff at an unnamed cancer hospital showed poor compliance with hand hygiene standards, particularly before performing procedures, according to new study published in Applied Nursing Research.

The number of cases at California hospitals in which surgical equipment was inadvertently left inside patients rose from 153 two years ago to 197 last year, a 29 percent increase, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle.

A survey by the Medical Group Management Association found that hospital-owned medical practices were more successful than other practice types in attracting physicians in 2009, according to an MGMA news release.

A joint effort by 53 Ohio hospitals has reduced central line-associated bloodstream infections in intensive care units by 48 percent in six months, according to the Ohio Hospital Association.

Somnia Anesthesia Services recently presented a free webinar entitled "Keeping Your Surgeons Satisfied — The Role of Anesthesia Management in Meeting Their Demands and Optimizing the OR."

A survey conducted by MedAxiom, a network of 300 cardiology practices, shows roughly 60 percent of practices have already integrated with a hospital or are considering it.

A study of Medicare patients hospitalized for heart failure between 1993-2006 showed shorter lengths of stay and lower rates of in-hospital mortality but higher readmission rates. The study was published in the June 2 Journal of the American Medical Association.