-
Would you like to decrease falls and nosocomial skin breakdown, reduce the frequency of patients' call light use, and increase satisfaction of both patients and nursing staff? After a 2006 study linked these and other benefits to nursing rounds, a growing number of organizations are implementing this practice.
-
A group of hospitals implements an inexpensive, evidence-based intervention to prevent costly, potentially fatal infections in acutely ill patients. Investigators monitor the results and find a significant improvement in infection rates that is sustained over time.
-
There is much room for improvement for the vast majority of The Joint Commission's standardized national performance measures, according to data reported in Improving America's Hospitals: The Joint Commission's Annual Report on Quality and Safety 2007. A 90% compliance level was achieved for only four of 22 quality-related measures tracked during 2006.
-
Every day it seems there is another process change that caregivers are asked to make. These changes may come as the result of an improvement project or root cause analysis or may be needed to meet accreditation standards.
-
If a physician at your hospital observed that a colleague's substance abuse was putting patients in danger, would you expect that this information would be reported?
-
If Consumer Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports has its way, all hospitals will soon begin publishing their hand-washing compliance rates information that for most organizations, would not be flattering.
-
Data were old, inconsistent, and incomplete. The same hospital was rated both best and worst for colon removal.
-
During 2006 surveys, about 22% of organizations were found to be out of compliance with The Joint Commission's "do not use" list of abbreviations, a requirement of the National Patient Safety Goals since 2004 one of the most frequent non-compliance findings during surveys. Now a new study underscores that abbreviations pose a significant threat to patient safety.
-
Self-pay emergency department patients who have no primary care provider are being referred to a nearby primary care and specialty center under a program in place at St. Mary's Hospital in Tucson, AZ, part of the Carondelet Health Network.
-
Patients, the press, and payers all eyes are on the topic of hospital-acquired infections. Recently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Medicare program will no longer provide reimbursement for the additional costs incurred for these conditions.