Predicting Flu Season Remains Difficult, but Get Ready for a Doozy
CDC statistics show that the 2018–2019 season broke records, logging in at 21 weeks long, from October 1, 2018 to May 4, 2019. Up to 42 million cases of the flu were reported, resulting in 20 million medical visits, 647,000 hospitalizations, and about 61,000 deaths.
Q&A: The Impact of To Err is Human at 20
Since the report’s initial claim that as many as 98,000 people die annually from medical errors, there have been major strides in changing healthcare organization’s systemic problem, workplace cultures, and improvement processes.
ECRI Institute, ISMP to Combine Efforts
The transaction, which is expected to close on January 2, will see ISMP become a subsidiary of ECRI Institute. Both are nonprofit organizations that promote patient safety by highlighting adverse effects, near misses, and unsafe conditions in various healthcare settings.
Communication Determines Patient Safety
Partnerships with the patient start with cooperation and commitment, where the health professional must be close to the patient to act as a true “observer.” Observation allows the clinician to assess the patient’s needs and “essence,” enabling the relationship to grow and promoting favorable health outcomes.
New Survey Casts Doubt on Severity of Physician Shortage
The new survey report, which is based on data collected from 2,000 patients and 750 physicians, says the AAMC’s physician shortage estimate could be overstated. In particular, the survey report found that only 19% of patients struggled to have a new visit with a generalist and only 15% struggled to set a new visit with a specialist.
LeapFrog Releases Biannual Hospital Safety Grades
The safety ratings’ release coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Institute of Medicine’s shocking report, To Err Is Human, which showed that nearly 100,000 people die every year due to preventable medical errors. Other research has shown that number could be twice as high.
Medicare Fraud Carries Heavy Price Tag for Scammed Patients
In 2013, fraud and abuse by clinicians contributed to 6,700 premature deaths, and study lead author Lauren Nicholas says that number is a low-ball estimate because it does not factor in other government-sponsored health insurance, commercial health insurance or the uninsured.
Metabolic Surgery Linked to Significantly Lower Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
The recent research features data collected from more than 13,000 patients—2,287 patients who underwent metabolic surgery and 11,435 patients in a control group that did not have surgery.
Lehman Report Analyzes Cost of Medical Errors Despite Healthcare Progress
The latest report from the Center, titled The Financial and Human Cost of Medical Error, sought to analyze the financial and human cost of medical errors—both in Massachusetts and nationwide—associated with services covered by health insurance.
FMH Reduces Sepsis Mortality by 65 Percent with MEDITECH
By: Debra O’Connell and Lauren Small US hospitals are challenged by evolving, and often disparate, sepsis guidelines, including the Surviving Sepsis Campaign, CMS SEP-1 Core Measure, and The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3). Recognizing the need for a comprehensive approach to sepsis care, Frederick Memorial Hospital designed a three-pronged strategy … Continued