By Susan Carr

Although political discussion of healthcare reform in the United States today tends toward buzzwords and scare tactics, profound changes to healthcare delivery are currently underway. At the Quality Colloquium, which I’m attending this week, providers, executives, consultants, and consumers/patients are talking about transformative changes in the way care is delivered and in the definition of “healthcare” itself.

Amcom Software, Inc. has announced version 5.0 of the Amcom Critical Test Results Management solution. Released less than three months after the product was acquired from IMCO Technologies, this enhanced version includes important features for hospitals as they look to improve this aspect of patient care and physician productivity.

The Cardinal Health Foundation has announced 42 grants, totaling nearly $1.1 million, to help U.S. hospitals, health systems and community health organizations improve the effectiveness, efficiency and excellence of patient care.

The PSO Services Group, LLC, a Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) AHRQ listed National Patient Safety Organization (PSO), has launched a multi-disciplinary National Medical Safety Board (NMSB), designed along the lines of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

A surgical patient safety program that combines three components—accurate outcome measurement, support of hospital leadership, and engaged frontline providers—reduces surgical site infections (SSIs) by 33 percent in patients who undergo colorectal procedures, according to a new study published in the August issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

CareOne, the Senior Care Company, has teamed with Walgreens to introduce a program that will provide day-of-discharge medications to patients before they leave CareOne centers and return home.

As debate on the Supreme Court decision to substantially uphold the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) broadens, Standard Register, a recognized leader in managing critical communications for healthcare, has issued a position paper that outlines a best-practice approach for continuing to advance the transformation in care within the evolving healthcare landscape.

By Susan Carr

With each issue of the PSQH eNews, our online event calendar is updated with new listings. In this case, two of three newly listed events are focused on the patient’s experience and both are worthy of special mention.

Radisphere, the largest and fastest-growing national radiology group in the United States, has announced the Radisphere iPhone® application to further improve the speed and quality of radiology services at its hospital clients.