Checklists help men, women stay healthy at 50-plus
In the past two issues of Case In Point we have covered men’s and women’s health. Looks like we were right on time, as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality also released a website to address the topic. To view, click here.

40% of U.S. adults have been tested for HIV: CDC
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that about 40 percent of U.S. adults have had at least one HIV test, but 250,000 people are HIV positive and don’t know it. Researchers also found the percentage of Americans getting HIV tests has stayed at 10 percent annually since 2000, despite efforts to increase testing. Click here for more.

Insurers join Medicare, will stop paying for ‘never events’
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, the state’s largest health insurer, is joining Medicare and other insurance companies in refusing to reimburse hospitals for so-called “never events” in the hope of forcing hospitals to improve quality. Click here for more.

Editor’s Note. A question for hospital-based case managers: What are your facilities doing to address this rising trend? E-mail Editor In Chief Anne Llewellyn to set up a time to share creative ideas and best practices that have worked for you. Information will be shared in the December/January issue of Case In Point.

Safety-net hospitals struggle to serve poor, stay financially viable
A study by the Center for Studying Health System Change finds safety-net hospitals are building new facilities and adding specialty services to attract insured customers and boost their bottom lines. “Safety-net providers really are caught in the competitive crossfire of an increasingly profit-driven health-care marketplace,” said the lead author of the study, according to the report. Click here for more.

Clinical leadership team improves coordination, outcomes
The University of Pennsylvania Health System is using a unit-based leadership model it hopes will improve communication, collaboration and nurse/physician relationships to lead to better quality outcomes. The model focuses on three-person teams — nurse manager, physician leader and quality coordinator — who share responsibility for the unit’s performance. Click here for more.