Incorporating information from the American College
of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program and Surgical Risk Calculator into the daily workflow
of healthcare teams in hospitals across the country could help achieve the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services» goal to reduce hospital readmissions and generate savings in
health care costs in the coming years.
For example, a tax on coal that
incorporated the increased
health care costs associated with mining it and breathing polluted air, the
costs of damage from acid rain, and the
costs of climate disruption would encourage investment in clean renewable sources
of energy such as wind or solar.