How MRSA Rates Sunk 42% at SC Health System
After a South Carolina health system introduced an electronic system for monitoring handwashing compliance among clinical staff, it saw MRSA rates plummet.
Noted Patient Advocate Joins National Patient Safety Foundation Think Tank
The National Patient Safety Foundation’s Lucian Leape Institute welcomed Sue Sheridan, MBA, MIM, DHL, as a member at the beginning of September. Ms. Sheridan, director of patient engagement for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), is widely known in the patient safety field as an advocate and leading voice for patient engagement in health … Continued
Drug Diversion is Difficult to Identify, Impact on Patient Safety is Devastating
In October 2015, McKay-Dee Hospital in Utah revealed that as many as 4,800 people had been potentially exposed to hepatitis C (HCV) after a state investigation linked the same hepatitis genotype from a patient treated at the hospital to a nurse who was caught diverting drugs in 2014.
Patient Identification Deficiencies Plague Quality of Care
Before receiving care at a medical facility – before even seeing a doctor or a nurse – every patient has to go through the simple registration process.
But that seemingly simple process is rife with complications that can linger throughout every step of a patient’s stay, creating the potential for inefficient care, unnecessary tests, and serious medical errors.
Study: Readmissions Sometimes Improve Patient Health
Are readmissions always bad? A new study by John Hopkins Medicine published in The Journal of Hospital Medicine says the answer is not as clear cut as once believed. Researchers looked at three years and 4,500 acute-care facilities worth of readmission and mortality data, finding that hospitals with high readmission rates tended to have lower mortality rates as well.
HRSA Awards Grants to Improve Primary Care and Telehealth in Rural Communities
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is awarding more than $16 million in grants for providers serving rural communities. Sixty rural communities in 32 states will receive grants. Seven rural health research centers will also be beneficiaries.
New Resources Aim to Simplify Stewardship Implementation
A finalized Joint Commission standard, along with proposed CMS regulations, place more emphasis on program leadership and providing resources for measurement and action.
Continuity of Care Innovation is Closer Than You Think
Hospital administrators seeking solutions to continuity of care challenges but who don’t know where to begin, many not realize that innovative problem solvers are nearby–maybe in their own communities.
How A Robust Never Events Policy Can Alter Your Facility’s Culture
Think fast: Does your hospital have a “never events” policy? Does it include apologizing to the patients that were harmed and waiving their costs? Does it include a risk assessment?
If you answered “no” to any of those questions, you are one of the 20% of hospitals across the country that don’t have an adequate never events policy.
Debate on Effects of Social Determinants on Hospital Readmissions Continues
A report finding no connection between socio-economic status and readmissions rates is being faulted for its lack of granularity by advocates for safety net hospitals.