background and objectives: hospital bed utilization is influenced by various factors, which may be categorized into patient-related, physician-related, and administration-related issues. it could be argued that the causes of inappropriate hospital bed utilization would be perceived differently by the clinicians and the patients. given the unique role of clinical practitioners in quality of care...

TO THE EDITOR—We read with great interest the recently published observational study by Murray et al [1]. This study presents data that daptomycin (compared to vancomycin) is associated with a survival advantage in patients hospitalized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. They report a decreased in-hospital mortality rate in those treated with daptomycin compared to van...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE We sought to determine predictors of acute hospital costs in patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke to an academic center using a stroke management team to coordinate care. METHODS Demographic and clinical data were prospectively collected on 191 patients consecutively admitted with acute ischemic stroke. Patients were classified by insurance status, premorbid m...

It is shown that the Coulomb correlation problem for a system of two electrons (two charged particles) in an external oscillator potential possesses a hidden sl2-algebraic structure being one of recently-discovered quasi-exactly-solvable problems. The origin of existing exact solutions to this problem, recently discovered by several authors, is explained. A degeneracy of energies in electron-el...

One of the great debates in criminology and psychiatry is whether criminals should be viewed as mental health problems or whether they should be viewed as “bad.” Philosophical considerations aside, the question often becomes a practical one of whether or not offenders are modifiable or “treatable” using methods developed in psychiatric institutions. Some serious offenders, of course, do appear ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE We have previously reported the difference in length of stay and hospital charges for patients with cerebral aneurysms treated with either clipping or coiling at our institution. We now report an analysis of the same comparison at a national level conducted using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database. METHODS We obtained the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from the Healt...

Background and Purpose—We have previously reported the difference in length of stay and hospital charges for patients with cerebral aneurysms treated with either clipping or coiling at our institution. We now report an analysis of the same comparison at a national level conducted using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database. Methods—We obtained the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from the Healthc...

Preface The Committee on the Global Financial System (CGFS), known until 1999 as the Euro-Currency Standing Committee, serves as a discussion forum for the central bank community on financial stability questions. Central banks, being placed at the centre of the financial system, have a long tradition of analysing financial market developments. This applies to both the operational, ie monetary p...

OBJECTIVE The cost burden (called full cost) of providing health services at a referral, a district and a mission hospital in Ghana were determined. METHODS Standard cost-finding and cost analysis tools recommended by World Health Organization are used to analyse 2002 and 2003 hospital data. Full cost centre costs were computed by taking into account cash and non-cash expenses and allocating ...