Some North Carolina lawmakers and organizations are calling for the state to loosen its healthcare certification laws to allow for more same-day surgery centers, but hospital organizations argue that doing so would put them at a competitive disadvantage, the Star News (Wilmington, N.C.)...
The U.S. Medical Licensing Examination’s (USMLE) Step 1 Committee has decided to raise the minimum passing score of the USMLE Step 1 exam from 188 to 192. The decision followed a review of the Step 1 exam and was based on information from multiple sources, including recommendations from...
Bylaws serve as the governing documents of the medical staff. Bylaws must meet the hospital’s accreditor’s standards, state and federal regulations, and the needs of the hospital’s medical staff. The Guide to Medical Staff Bylaws offers tips for writing bylaws and actual sample...
Some elements of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which would expedite the medical licensing process for physicians who wish to practice in multiple states, will be ready for review early next year, according to the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). A drafting committee of the...
After holding steady at 19% from 2007 to 2011, the all-cause 30-day hospital readmission rate among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries fell to 18.5% in 2012, and has continued to fall in 2013, according to an entry posted on The CMS Blog website last week. Preliminary claims data shows...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced more than 270 grants totaling $55.5 million in funding to address healthcare workforce needs in nursing, public health, behavioral health, workforce development, and dentistry. The grants are managed by HHS’ Health Resources and...
