-
They knew it was coming: The National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) proposed budget didn't include any government funding for the Baldrige National Quality Awards. But it still comes as a shock, particularly to those who have participated in the program and know firsthand the benefits that participants reap.
-
A report from the Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General released at the end of October concluded that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services isn't addressing some of the serious events that happen in hospitals or letting The Joint Commission know about them in a timely manner.
-
Many times it takes significant changes in processes and/or policies to effect improvements in quality performance.
-
In the first weeks after The Joint Commission and SGS Group announced they would be offering joint accreditation and ISO certification to interested hospitals, SGS reported a fourfold increase in calls from hospitals curious about what ISO could do for them.
-
A RAND study released in December looked at the use of performance measures and the barriers to using them.
-
In the 25 years since the Picker Institute was founded to focus on patient-centered care, the organization has specialized in talking about the positive part of healthcare the things that should always be done that benefit the patient and family rather than about those never events that make headlines.
-
A study by the US Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) found that e-prescribing is safe and effective, but still faces many barriers to widespread use.
-
Beginning in July 2012, The Joint Commission will require hospitals to improve influenza rates annually and to work toward a national goal of 90% flu vaccination of health care workers.
-
It takes a team to create a safe workplace not just a committee, but an ongoing collaboration between employee health, safety, risk management, and other professionals. That is the most important advice for reducing workers' compensation claims, says Lori Severson, MS, HEM, ASP, loss control consultant with Lockton Companies of Denver.
-
The status of employee health is rising, but so are the expectations. As part of a heightened focus on reducing hospital infections, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is developing a national survey program that will include interviews with employee health professionals.
