DEA Extends Telemedicine Prescription Waiver One More Year
Healthcare providers will be able to prescribe scheduled drugs via telemedicine for at least one more year, thanks to a last-minute extension of a pandemic-era waiver by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grades Find Patient Safety Improvements Nationwide
The Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 30 performance measures to assign an “A, “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” to individual hospitals and uses a public, peer-reviewed methodology, calculated by top patient safety experts under the guidance of a National Expert Panel. It is transparent and free to the public. Leapfrog analysts use the data to observe national performance trends and state rankings.
Improving Sepsis Education, Identification, and Awareness
The CDC also included several questions in the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) 2023 Annual Survey seeking to understand the current state of sepsis programs in healthcare organizations.
How to Improve Antibiotics Stewardship for Pediatric Patients
Antibiotic stewardship has several benefits, including lowering cost of care, reducing medication side effects, and addressing antimicrobial resistance. For pediatric patients, most antibiotics are prescribed in the outpatient setting.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 114 – Reducing Medication Errors with Technology
On episode 114 of PSQH: The Podcast, Lani Bertrand, Senior Director, Clinical Marketing & Thought Leadership at Omnicell, talks about how technology can help reduce medication errors.
The Clock is Ticking on Telemedicine Prescriptions
The Alliance for Connected Care is preparing stakeholder letters to the White House and Senate and House leadership urging them to put pressure on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to extend for two years a pandemic-era waiver allowing providers to use telemedicine. Extending the waiver, currently set to end this year, would give the DEA time to create a long-sought registration process for those prescriptions.
Healthcare Leaders Are Redefining the Hospital Pharmacy
Whether it’s to keep the doors open in a rural region or address care gaps brought on by retail pharmacy closures and disruptor drawbacks, healthcare leaders are taking a closer look at hospital pharmacy operations. Some are eyeing a hub-and-spoke drug distribution model to cut costs and waste, while others are making the pharmacist a more active member of the care team.
CMOs Should be Addressing Antimicrobial Resistant Pathogens
The spike in antimicrobial resistant pathogens was likely caused by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the CDC. Drivers of the spike include longer lengths of stay, disruption of infection prevention practices, and increased inappropriate antibiotic use, the CDC says.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 110 – The Importance of Tracking Medication Adherence
On episode 110 of PSQH: The Podcast, Dr. Juan Maldonado, a Texas-based family medicine specialist, talks about his efforts to track medication adherence.
Deprescribing is Important Element of Medication Management
The primary risk with multiple medications is medication interactions. This risk can lead to an increase or decrease in the effects of medications as well as undesired effects and side effects.