HomeCare Editors’ Top 5: Week of March 7

Bridging the Gap Between Medical and Mental Health Care
Simply referring patients with mental illness to a primary care doctor—doesn’t work. Instead, the patients need close, coordinated monitoring by both providers. (Anna Gorman/Kaiser Health News)

EHRs in the ER
The mouse slips, and the emergency room doctor clicks on the wrong number, ordering a medication dosage that’s far too large. Elsewhere, in another ER’s electronic health record, a patient’s name isn’t clearly displayed, so the nurse misses it and enters symptoms in the wrong person’s file. (Shefali Luthra/Kaiser Health News)

Remote Monitoring Slashes Readmissions 40 Percent for UVA Health
As federal payors continue to push the national health system toward value-based purchasing with financial incentives for coordinated care, major hospital systems are partnering up with businesses that can improve patient outcomes after a discharge. (Amy Baxter/Home Health Care News)

Medicine’s Power Couples: A Challenge in Recruiting Physicians to Rural Areas
If someone is well-educated, the odds are that he or she will marry someone with similar credentials, according to census data. And that trend has consequences when it comes to access to health care in rural areas. (Shefali Luthra/Kaiser Health News)

Senate Readies for Battle Over Opioid Abuse
Democratic demands for $600 million in emergency funding is threatening to take down a bipartisan bill tackling the nation’s growing opioid addition. (Jordain Carney/The Hill)