In order to improve care and reduce costs, hospitals need to lead with quality.

Paul Levy, Beth Israel Deaconess' CEO, took on a tricky question. Should the surgeon be punished for the error?

Cutting health costs by paying doctors more? The idea is that by paying family physicians, internists and pediatricians to devote more time and attention to their patients, insurers and patients can save thousands of dollars downstream on unnecessary tests, visits to expensive specialists and avoidable trips to the hospital.

Has CT proved itself as a useful tool to screen for heart disease? Does the benefit justify the cost and increased radiation risk? Determining appropriate utilizaiton in a society obessed with the latest innovation & newest technology creates tension among physicians, payers & patients.

The World Health Organization issued its first guidelines on Tuesday aimed at reducing complications and deaths from the rising numbers of operations now being performed.

Online auctions are a proven method for matching buyers and sellers. Voila: Online sites where hospitals can sell patient debt at auction.

Google on Monday launched a beta test of its Google Health service for archiving medical records and finding medical services. The site, which is currently available for healthcare purposes in the US only, is a personal portal that can be used to upload, store and view personal information; retrieve records from partners; investigate health matters; set alerts such as a reminder to take medication; and run applications that can, for example, keep track of how many miles a person has walked

Not every doctor’s going to be the sweetest person in the world. But as a patient, you don’t have to be Emily Post to expect a basic level of courtesy from your doctor.

Georgia will pay Big Blue $5.2 million to build a Web site that will let consumers compare hospitals on cost, quality and ratings by patients.