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Accountability is key, even though there has been a movement away from holding individuals accountable in favor of redesigning systems to encourage the desired behavior.
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The practice of treating ED patients in hallways has generated some reports in the medical literature expressing concerns for patient safety, though the incidents cited do not reflect a system in which patients are first stabilized and seen by a physician in an exam room.
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Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg, MS, developed a two-stage triage process that has helped improved throughput and many other aspects of care in the ED.
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A hospital in Mississippi has significantly improved its emergency department throughput and reduced the perennial problem of overcrowding in part by embracing a concept that most facilities try hard to avoid: treating patients in hallways and other non-standard areas.
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Geisinger health system’s decision to offer a lifetime guarantee on total hip replacements could only be made after reaching quality metrics that would make any hospital proud.
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A strong quality improvement infrastructure can be the perfect setting for developing a patient and family advisory council, says Libby Hoy, founder and CEO of Patient and Family Centered Care Partners in Long Beach, CA, which works with hospitals to encourage patient and family participation.
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In 2012, leaders at Health Central Hospital in Ocoee, FL, were concerned that the patient voice was not heard and thought overall patient care and satisfaction could be improved by listening to them more.
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A Texas hospital has learned that a checklist and one-time training do not always yield lasting results, so it developed a systematic, long-term approach to a vexing problem related to patient handoffs.
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Among other things, adopt and implement a robust credentialing process on the front end. It is better to avoid appointing a physician than to have to remove a physician once he or she is appointed.
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The hospital governing body has the final say on who is granted privileges and who is allowed to continue practicing in the hospital, and with this authority comes the ultimate responsibility for ensuring only competent physicians practice there.