Daily Rounds: Podunk Hospitals; Colonoscopies Get Results; Meaning Of Tylenol Recall; New Managed Care

Small, Rural Hospitals Provide a Lower Quality of Care: Study - iVillage "Small rural hospitals in the United States provide a lower quality of care and have worse patient outcomes than larger hospitals, a new study finds. Researchers analyzed data from about 4,800 hospitals that serve Medicare beneficiaries in order to assess the care provided by critical access hospitals (CAHs), which have no more than 25 acute care beds and are located more than 35 miles from the nearest full-service hospital (non-CAHs)." (ivillage)

Colorectal cancer: Screenings result in fewer deaths from colorectal cancer, CDC says - Health Key: Increased screening during the last decade for colorectal cancer, the nation's second-leading cause of cancer deaths, has put a sharp dent in the prevalence of the disease and in the number of deaths resulting from it, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. As screening for the disease among those ages 50 to 75 increased from half to two-thirds of that population, the prevalence rate fell from 52.3 cases per 100,000 in 2003 to 45.4 per 100,000 in 2007." (healthkey.com)

Should Tylenol caplet recall scare consumers? - USATODAY.com "Last week's recall of the over-the-counter pain reliever Tylenol may leave consumers wondering whether it's safe to buy a replacement bottle or whether it's time to turn to other options next time a headache or joint pain strikes. Drug and pain experts have varying opinions." (yourlife.usatoday.com)

Managed Care Creeps Into The Doctor's Office : Shots - Health Blog : NPR "Help wanted: Doctors to limit expensive tests, hospital visits and surgeries. You're not likely to see such a brazen job listing, but managed care companies are getting into the business of running physician groups to keep costs down, as Kaiser Health News reported over the weekend. Hospitals, larger physician groups and even Wall Street investors are also eyeing doctors who can practice cheaper health care." (npr.org)