How to Provide Quality Care in High-Risk Pregnancies
A national study of women aged 18 to 44 showed that complicated pregnancies are growing more prevalent in the United States—they rose by 16.4% from 2014 to 2018. The same study, which looked at 1.8 million pregnancies, revealed that childbirth complications increased by about 14% from 2014 to 2018.
CMS Eases Up on COVID-19 Vaccination Verification During Regular Surveys
Now that hospitals and other healthcare providers have had time to meet the CMS staff COVID-19 vaccination requirements, CMS is easing up on verification, according to a Quality, Safety and Oversight group memo posted Tuesday afternoon.
American Medical Association Pushes ‘Recovery Plan’ for Physicians
Before the coronavirus pandemic, physician burnout was a national concern, and the pandemic has driven physician burnout to crisis proportions. The Association of American Medical Colleges projects there will be a shortage of physicians between 37,800 and 124,000 clinicians by 2034.
Surgeon General Releases Advisory on Health Worker Burnout
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, recently released an advisory to address a growing threat of health worker burnout. The advisory provides recommendations for how to address this issue, with steps that stakeholders can take to make changes in the systems, structures, and cultures that shape healthcare.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 55 – Lessons Learned From the Vaught Case
On episode 55 of PSQH: The Podcast, Dr. Michael Ramsay, CEO of the Patient Safety Movement Foundation, talks about lessons learned from the RaDonda Vaught case and how to avoid similar incidents in the future.
Investments in Hospital Security Are Top of Mind Following Mass Shootings
Increasing security measures at hospitals can come with significant financial and logistical challenges, but there are actionable steps and investments healthcare leaders can take to ensure the safety of the staff and patients within their organizations.
Health System and Hospital Peer Network Tackles Health Equity
Health equity has emerged as a pressing issue in U.S. healthcare during the coronavirus pandemic. In particular, there have been COVID-19 health disparities for many racial and ethnic groups that have been at higher risk of getting sick and experiencing relatively high mortality rates.
CMS Updates Guidelines for Ambulatory Surgical Centers—Can Hospital SOM Be Far Behind?
The changes were published in the June 3 memo QSO-22-16-ASC, which also notes that the last time Appendix L was updated was in late 2019, and that “currently, the online version of Appendix L has several placeholders in the tags that note ‘guidance pending and will be updated in a future release’.”
New Program for Kidney Disease Patients Stresses Personalized Care
In a partnership with Denver-based Strive Health, the Cincinnati-based health system, which includes 50 hospitals across several states, will use a technology platform and “Kidney Heroes” interdisciplinary care teams composed of nurse practitioners, dietitians, pharmacists, care coordinators and licensed clinical social workers to create a personalized care plan for patients. Among other things, the platform will allow care providers to chart the progression of the disease and the patient’s risk for hospitalization.
CMS Revises COVID-19 Data Reporting for Psychiatric, Rehabilitation Hospitals
The memo QSO-21-03-Hospitals/CAHs was updated May 27 to note that the data elements for psychiatric and rehabilitation hospitals that had been required weekly is now required only once annually and should include the data for the previous week, according to CMS.