RWJF Launches Nest Phase of Flagship Initiative to Lift the Quality of American Healthcare
Princeton, New Jersey, May 5, 2011—The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced it will award grants of $1.3 million to 16 different healthcare collaboratives through its Aligning Forces for Quality initiative, continuing the foundation’s signature effort to improve the quality and value of U.S. healthcare.
Cautious Patient Foundation Announces New Grants Program Aimed to Improve Patient Safety and Quality of Healthcare
Houston, Texas, April 18, 2011—The Cautious Patient Foundation (CPF), the outreach and educational arm of Patient Always First, a nonprofit organization committed to educating and empowering patients in the quest for quality health care, announced a new grants program to support initiatives that successfully move patients toward greater engagement in their personal or family healthcare process.
Team Training in Obstetrics: Improving Care by Learning to Work Together
Team Training in Obstetrics: Improving Care by Learning to Work Together
Communication gaps and breakdowns are a significant cause of medical errors within the healthcare system. According to data collected by the Joint Commission (2005), communication gaps are the primary root cause of two thirds of sentinel events.
Health & IT Quality: Seeing Is Not Believing
Health & IT Quality
Seeing Is Not Believing
Consider this scenario: An adventure traveler begins his trek to a remote village in the Andes. Upon arriving at the airport, he rents a car and begins his journey on winding roads to the village. After 90 minutes of driving, he encounters an intersection with a traffic light. Upon seeing the bottom of the light glowing brightly, he continues through the intersection.
Ochsner Introduces Epic EMR for Increased Quality, Efficiency, Access
New Orleans, March 31, 2011—Ochsner Health System today announced it is deploying Epic’s industry-leading electronic medical record (EMR) software, EpicCare, across its eight hospitals and 38 health centers.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Celebrates Quality Improvement Efforts, Patient Safety Results with Ohio Hospitals
Columbus, Ohio, March 21, 2011—An effort to improve quality and make Ohio the safest state in the nation for health care has garnered national attention.
Interoperability and Actionable Intelligence: Future Requirements, Current Possibilities
Interoperability and Actionable Intelligence: Future Requirements, Current Possibilities
Government requirements for “meaningful use” of electronic health records (EHRs) have focused national attention on the need to integrate and computerize a patient’s medical records to improve performance and support patient care processes.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and 22 Michigan Trauma Centers Partner Launch Statewide Trauma Quality Care Initiative
Detroit, February 11, 2011—Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Care Network, and 22 trauma centers throughout the state, in partnership with the American College of Surgeons, are launching an initiative aimed at improving quality and safety of care provided in Michigan’s trauma centers.
There’s Still Time to Qualify for 2010 PQRI Financial Incentives, but You Must Act Fast
When the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched its Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) in 2007, the Heart Center of North Texas explored, but decided against, participating in the program. The effort of collecting and reporting quality measures was so complex and onerous that it was not worth the time or effort involved.
National Priorities Partnership Addresses the Question of Reducing Healthcare Costs while Improving Quality
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 3, 2011—Taking on areas of healthcare that together account for billions of dollars in wasteful spending, the National Priorities Partnership (NPP) released sets of specific actions to reduce healthcare costs by addressing preventable hospital readmissions, reducing emergency department overuse, and preventing medication errors.
