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.
Mistreatment and Discrimination Take Burnout Toll on Physicians
Physician burnout was a concern before the coronavirus pandemic, which has exacerbated the problem. Earlier research has linked physician burnout to negative personal and professional consequences. The new research article, which was published by JAMA Network Open, is based on data collected from more than 6,500 physicians. The study has several key findings.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 54 – Preventing Burnout Through a Strong Practice Culture
On episode 54 of PSQH: The Podcast, Dr. Natasha Beauvais, CEO of Northern Virginia Family Practice Associates, talks about how cultivating a strong practice culture can prevent clinician burnout.
3 Ways a Coordinated Approach Can Solve the Nursing Shortage
Though COVID-19 narrowed the focus on the nursing shortage, other conditions have contributed to it far longer than the pandemic: a higher education system that is training too few nurses; workforce conditions; and demographic factors, such as aging Baby Boomers and increased life expectancy, the report notes.
Urgent Call Made to Improve Patient Safety
Patient safety has been a pressing issue in healthcare since 1999, with the publication of the landmark report To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System. Despite two decades of attention, estimates of annual patient deaths due to medical errors have risen steadily to as many as 440,000 lives, a figure that was reported in the Journal of Patient Safety in 2013.
Monkeypox: Take Standard, Airborne, and Droplet Precautions
While the primary risk is from close contact with bodily fluids, including contaminated linens, “because of the theoretical risk of airborne transmission of monkeypox virus, airborne precautions should be applied whenever possible,” said the CDC. “If a patient presenting for care at a hospital or other health care facility is suspected of having monkeypox, infection control personnel should be notified immediately.”