Prescriber Training in Medication Management Improves Outcomes, Enhances CMS Quality Metrics
By Gregory A. Hood, MD, MACP; and Lori Dickerson, PharmD, FCCP
Medication management learning-based training helped Quality Independent Physicians (QIP), an accountable care organization (ACO) composed of primary care practices throughout Kentucky and Indiana, decrease hospitalizations across all disease states by 26%. QIP saw a similar drop in admissions for high-risk disease states and a significant reduction in hospital readmissions. The organization’s medication management learning program proved effective in boosting these and other important Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) quality scores, while helping successfully manage key, at-risk patient populations.
With today’s emphasis on healthcare quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, we’re always looking for ways to improve. We needed a focused effort to leverage medications to their maximal benefits, while avoiding difficult and potentially devastating mistakes. Well-researched and timely medication recommendations, a commitment to creating and communicating standardized clinical practice guidelines, and an inclusive atmosphere that encouraged organization-wide clinician buy-in were essential to the program’s results.
From Medicine to the Cloud: Technology in Healthcare
“Technology in healthcare” is a wide-ranging topic. It incorporates tiny bar-coded labels on medication and room-filling MRI machines and robotic surgery suites. Whether your facility is 10 years or 100 years old, its suites and treatment centers have been subjected to a variety of technical changes on a yearly basis. In older hospitals, keeping the … Continued
Study Finds Higher Rates of Perioperative Medication Errors than Previous Research
A study published in the October 2015 issue of Anesthesiology reports on the frequency of medication errors and adverse events in the perioperative setting. The rates of errors and events were significantly higher than documented by previous studies. The recent study found: A drug error or adverse drug event occurred in approximately 1 in 20 … Continued
Medication Management Training Improves CMS Quality Metrics, New Study Finds
Scores improve in hospitalization, readmission and high-risk disease states A new study shows that medication management educational tools can improve key Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) quality measures. Following a seven-month program developed by Prescriber’s Letter drug advisory service, Quality Independent Physicians (QIP) successfully decreased patient hospitalization across all disease states by 26%. … Continued
Medfusion Launches Mobile App to Simplify Healthcare Records
To provide patients with a single destination for all of their medical records, Medfusion—a patient engagement platform dedicated to facilitating the relationship between doctors and patients—has developed a consumer mobile application called Medfusion Plus. For decades, if patients wanted access to their medical records, they had to request and pay for a paper copy, which … Continued
Comment Through Oct 16 on ISMP’s Guidelines for Communication of Medication Information in Electronic Systems
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) invites healthcare practitioners to comment on its Draft Guidelines for the Safe Electronic Communication of Medication Information. To view and comment on the guidelines, visit www.ismp.org/tools/guidelines/SCEMI. Suggestions also can be submitted via email to ismpinfo@ismp.org. ISMP observes, “Health information technology vendors and users currently do not have a … Continued
ISMP Releases New Safe Practice Guidelines for Adult IV Push Medications
While much emphasis has been placed on the improvement of IV infusion safety, standardized safe practices associated with IV push injection safety remain limited. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) recently released new guidelines to help healthcare practitioners identify risks associated with adult IV push medications. The guidelines were developed as part of … Continued
FDB and Polyglot Systems Partner to Help Improve Medication Adherence
First Databank (FDB), a provider of clinical drug knowledge that helps improve medication-related decisions and patient outcomes,has entered into an agreement with Polyglot Systems to be the primary distributor of Polyglot’s proprietary Meducation® simplified patient medication instructions to the hospital, ambulatory, and pharmacy markets in the United States and Canada.
Common Vaccine Error Leaves Patients Unprotected
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) has received frequent reports of errors involving vaccine administration to a patient where only one of two necessary vaccine components supplied is administered. These errors leave patients unprotected against serious and sometimes fatal communicable diseases.
Health IT, Care Coordination, Drug Shortages Lead 2014 List of Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns
Patient safety is a top priority for every healthcare organization, but knowing where to direct initiatives can be daunting. To help organizations decide where to focus their efforts, ECRI Institute has compiled its first annual list of the Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for Healthcare Organizations.