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Nearly all hospitals support the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in moving forward with a pay-for-performance program over the next few years, but selecting the right measures will be a critical element of future success, according to a new report by Mathematica Policy Research.
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The Agency for Research and Healthcare Quality issued notice in the October 24, 2006, Federal Register that it intends request permission from the Office of Management and Budget to conduct an evaluation project on pay-for-quality programs.
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The ninth annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study contained some encouraging news, but also some troubling data, according to officials of the Golden CO-based organization.
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The Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) recently completed a successful pneumonia prevention program for hospital patients on ventilators, crediting it with saving an estimated 53 lives and $7 million in health care costs.
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A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine indicates that the use of bar code technology in a hospital pharmacy can help achieve significant reductions in medication errors and potential adverse drug events (ADEs). However, the authors add, some systems are more effective than others.
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The Leapfrog Group has unveiled a new policy through which it hopes to encourage hospitals to implement strategies to avoid the 28 "never" events that have been identified by the National Quality Forum (NQF).
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While honoring some of the nation's top-performing hospitals with the release of its first Leapfrog Top Hospitals list, the Washington, DC-based Leapfrog Group also noted that its survey uncovered a number of areas in which America's hospitals still lag behind.
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If you are seeing increased numbers of patients with skin infections resistant to antibiotics in your ED, know that this jump reflects a nationwide trend.
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The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has updated its list of look-alike/sound-alike drugs for the first time in several years. This action is significant because to comply with National Patient Safety Goal 3C, you must identify and annually review a list of look-alike/sound-alike drugs used and take action to prevent errors involving the interchange of these drugs.
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Many medications are inappropriate for elderly patients because of the risk of adverse drug events (ADEs), but these drugs are given commonly in the ED, says a new study.
