Umsetzung der neuen Qualitätssicherungsvereinbarung zur Hörgeräteversorgung im Praxisalltag

Upon review of the statutory health insurance reimbursement guidelines, a specific quality assurance questionnaire concerned with the provision of hearing aids was introduced that assesses elements of patient satisfaction within Germany’s public healthcare system. APHAB questionnaire-based patient evaluation of the benefit of hearing aids represents the third pillar of audiological diagnostics, alongside classical pure-tone and speech audiometry. Another new aspect of the national guidelines is inclusion of free-field measurements in noise with and without hearing aids. Part 2 of this review describes new diagnostic aspects of speech audiometry. In addition to adaptive speech audiometry, a proposed method for applying the gold standard of speech audiometry – the Freiburg monosyllabic speech test – in noise is described. Finally, the quality assurance questionnaire will be explained as an appendix to template 15 of the regulations governing hearing aids.     

A Medicaid and Commercial Insured Claims-Based Study to Estimate Improved Antipsychotic Medication Adherence Among Patients with Schizophrenia

Compliance with antipsychotic medication is clinically important but challenging for schizophrenia patients. Clinical trials and epidemiological studies strongly suggest that improved compliance results in reduced hospitalizations and other adverse outcomes. Examination of Medicaid and commercial claim data suggests that a significant portion of schizophrenia patients have a regular pattern of visits with one outpatient professional, yet are noncompliant with their medication. For many of these patients, results show that the administration of once-monthly verifiable therapy would improve compliance.     

Umsetzung der neuen Qualitätssicherungsvereinbarung zur Hörgeräteversorgung im Praxisalltag

Alongside evidence-based medicine, quality assurance has becoming increasingly important in daily medical practice during the last decade. The introduction of a specific quality assurance questionnaire in connection with hearing aid fitting represents the first large-scale assessment of certain elements of patient satisfaction within Germany’s public healthcare system. Part 1 of this review describes the most important new regulations pertaining to hearing aid fitting in the context of statutory health insurance. Since the vast majority of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures constituting the treatment of hearing loss patients – particularly the subsequent rehabilitation of hearing aid wearers in cooperation with hearing aid acousticians – occur outside the clinic, this review concentrates on the rules relevant to this area. After studying this part of the overview, readers should be able to understand and apply the sections of the statutory health insurance reimbursement guidelines relating to ambulant hearing aid fitting; furthermore, they should be able to understand and apply the standard evaluation criteria (Einheitlicher Bewertungsmaßstab, EBM).     

Hospital and physician professional liability trends and industry topics

This article summarizes the findings published in the Aon/ASHRM Hospital and Physician Professional Liability Benchmark Analysis, October 2014. The report analyzes aggregated data from hospital systems and physician groups across the United States that self‐insure their professional liability exposures. Risk managers use the information to identify, measure, and better understand the risks that may affect their organizations.     

Pr?valenz auff?lliger Schleimhautbefunde bei Patienten in HNO-Praxen

Objective

To date, no secondary prevention program is in place for patients carrying an increased risk for developing head and neck cancer (HNSCC). In terms of successful, long-term curative therapy and increased quality of life, it would be useful to detect such diseases at an early stage.

Patients and Methods

A total of 370?patients with at least one risk factor such as ??smoking??, ??alcohol??, or ??reflux disease?? and without any symptoms were examined during a 1-year period using standard HNO methods (e.?g. endoscopy) for suspicious alterations of the mucosa of the upper aerodigestive tract.

Results

In 13 (3.5%) of all 370 cases a biopsy was taken for further diagnosis. Squamous cell carcinoma was found in eight cases, while one further patient was suffering from non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Conclusions

It is simple and safe to examine patients at risk of developing HNSCC by standard HNO methods. The rate of detected carcinomas is much higher than in former investigations, likely because our survey focused only on patients with specific risk factors.