The number of reportable adverse events in Minnesota hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and community behavioral health hospitals increased from 305 in 2010 to 316 in 2011, according to a report released by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Despite the increase, the number of events resulting in serious injury or death to a patient decreased from 107 in 2010 to 89 in 2011.

eHealth Global Technologies, Inc. (eHGT) and OptumInsight will deploy an innovative medical image exchange service for HEALTHeLINK, a Regional Health Information Organization serving eight counties of western New York, including Buffalo and Niagara Falls. This partnership will enable faster diagnosis and treatment, improved outcomes, reduced radiation exposure and health care cost reductions. READ MORE...

Independence Blue Cross (IBC) announced that it is collaborating with Health Dialog, a leading provider of health care analytics and decision support, on a new pilot program that will offer health coaching to people with chronic illnesses to help them stay well and out of the hospital.

Nearly 1 in 8 Americans are age 65 or older, with higher percentages in countries such as Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom. To serve the rapidly-growing aging population, Independa announced a strategic relationship with Zenith, the U.S. R&D subsidiary of LG Electronics, to deploy technology that will provide residents of eldercare facilities an industry-first suite of video calling, messaging, reminders and other services that enables them to keep in touch with professional and family caregivers.

Mastering Precepting: A Nurse’s Handbook for Success s written specifically as a guidebook for nurses who are preceptors, who are thinking of becoming preceptors or those who supervise preceptors. READ MORE...

IMCO-STAT ED Discrepancy is designed to streamline the workflow process of ED physicians sending critical patient diagnosis to the radiologist. The system notifies the radiologist of the ED information and allows the radiologist to agree or disagree with the ED diagnosis based on the exam. If there is a discrepancy, the system automatically alerts the ED physician for immediate attention, and creates an audit trail of all communications.

CJPS Medical Systems announced that VitalPoint® HOME, its remote patient monitor, can be used with Microsoft Windows® - based Tablet PCs. READ MORE...

By Steve Kreiser, CDR, USN Ret., MBA, MSM

Situational awareness is the degree to which knowledge and perception of a given situation mirrors reality. Figure 4 shows how threats such as distractions, miscommunication, poor attention to detail, workarounds or other problems can cause a situation to deteriorate and get off track. A team with good situational awareness recognizes these “red flags” and the reality of the situation, then applies the necessary resources to adjust back toward the goal of the plan of care.

By Steve Kreiser, CDR, USN Ret., MBA, MSM

Element #5 – Adaptability

Adaptability is all about working well with others and being flexible enough to adjust to changes in the situation or plan of care. Remaining flexible when new information becomes available is critical to making a team function well, especially during unplanned situations and emergencies.

Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania—ECRI Institute (www.ecri.org), an independent nonprofit that researches the best approaches to improving patient care, listed 10 health technology issues that hospital leaders should have on their watch lists for 2012. READ MORE...

The AHA-NPSF Comprehensive Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship is a year-long program for clinical and administrative leaders dedicated to improving quality and patient safety.

Bethesda, Maryland—The Alliance for Nursing Informatics (ANI) selected two individuals to participate in an exclusive two-year program designed to develop professionals capable of assuming national leadership positions in informatics-related organizations.

Tokyo, Japan / Bothell, Washington—FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation a diversified technology company that operates in healthcare, highly functional materials, and document solutions, announced it has entered into a definitive agreement with SonoSite, Inc., a pioneer and leader in bedside and point-of-care ultrasound technology. READ MORE...

Pittsburgh—TeleTracking Technologies announced release of its Capacity Management Suite™ system version 2.3, which allows users to control core patient flow automation functions from an Apple® iPad®, streamline sign-on protocol for faster login, and speed responses to unexpected spills. READ MORE...

Jensen Beach, Florida—With hundreds of installations in MRI suites on five continents, Kopp Development Inc., the leading manufacturer of ferromagnetic detectors for MRI Safety, is proud to introduce the newest innovation, FerrAlert™ SOLO.

Monterey, California—To provide healthcare organizations nationwide a place to stay informed with information related to language access in healthcare, Language Line Services has launched a new all-in-one, multi-device online portal. READ MORE...

Orem, Utah—An estimated 10 to 15 percent of the healthcare market is currently utilizing a real-time location system (RTLS) solution. Some providers may initially view RTLS as a specialty investment that is only helpful at certain types of organizations. READ MORE...

By Steve Kreiser, CDR, USN Ret., MBA, MSM

Element #4 – Assertiveness

In the 1960s and 1970s, Dutch psychologist Geert Hofstede conducted extensive research on how humans interact in a culture or organization. One of the measures he used to define this interaction is known as the power distance index, or PDI. This index measures power distance among cultures and indicates attitudes toward hierarchy – in particular, how a culture values and respects authority. The higher the power distance in a culture, the less likely those in subordinate roles will question the actions or directions of individuals in authority.

By John Haughton, MD, MS

Physicians following quality best practices are doing themselves a disservice if they are not participating in the 2011Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), the voluntary pay-for-performance federal program -- formerly known as the Physicians Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI).

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