ABQAURP News

September / October 2010

Quality Conundrums
 

Are Electronic Health Records the Ultimate Quality Conundrum?

It would seem that almost everyone is talking about electronic health records. A Google search (August 6, 2010) on electronic health record implementation returned 8,840,000 results. A Google search done the same day on Meaningful Use returned 11,300,000 and on Meaningful Use Final Rule, 12,200,000 results. How nice it would be if they all said the same thing!

David Blumenthal, MD, MPP, and Marilyn Tavenner, RN, MHA, proclaimed that, “The widespread use of electronic health records (EHRs) in the United States is inevitable. EHRs will improve caregiver decisions and patient outcomes. Once patients experience the benefits of this technology, they will demand nothing less from their providers. Hundreds of thousands of physicians have already seen these benefits in their clinical practice.” (NEJM blog post July 13, 2010. http://healthcarereform.nejm.org/?p=3732&query=home.)

A few weeks earlier, the Leapfrog Group published the results of a study on 214 hospitals’ use of CPOE systems, which indicated that existing CPOE programs, when tested in a simulated environment, missed almost 50% of routine medication errors and one third of potentially fatal errors! (http://www.leapfroggroup.org/media/file/LeapfrogAnnouncesNewReportontheSafetyofElectronicPrescribinginHospitals.pdf)

Few will argue that improving knowledge management in health care is a crucial step in enhancing the quality of care and patient safety. Electronic health records and CPOE are tools to support these goals. During implementation, careful planning and the vigorous use of quality tools including thoughtful checklists, FMEA, and simulations may help to reap the benefits and avoid some hazards. Good luck!

Please send inquiries and comments to rwillog@abqaurp.org, please use
Quality Column in the subject line.
We look forward to your participation in this new column. 

33rd Annual Health Care Quality &
Patient Safety Conference

In this era of accountability, attendees will need the practical knowledge and the tools to reduce medical errors, ensure patient safety, eliminate waste, eliminate unnecessary services, and avoid potentially harmful delays in care. The result is a safer, more efficient and cost-effective system that better satisfies the needs of patients, providers, purchasers, and payers.
Friday & Saturday, October 22-23, 2010
Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts
Lake Buena Vista, FL
7:45am–5:30pm

For more information or to register: Call Patti Rivers at 800-998-6030, ext. 117
Go online at www.abqaurp.org

Upcoming ABQAURP
Accredited Events

JOINT SPONSORSHIPS

American College of Hyperbaric Medicine

New Horizons in Hyperbaric Medicine and Wound Care
October 15-17, 2010
Milwaukee, WI
http://www.achm.org/index.php/Conferences/ACHM-2010/2010-Conf.html

American Association of Orthopaedic Medicine (AAOM)    
AAOM Mexico Hands-on Prolotherapy Workshop    
November 6-13, 2010    
Guadalajara and Ciudad Guzman, Mexico    
http://www.aaomed.org/

Joint Venture of Alvin Stein, MD and Marty Hinz, MD
Management of the Effects of Neurotoxins on Neurotransmission
May 24, 2010 – December 31, 2010
(Online Education Course)
http://www.neurosupport.com

CO-SPONSORSHIP

2011 HIMSS Annual Conference and Exhibition & Physician’s IT Symposium
February 20-24, 2011
Orlando, FL
http://www.himssconference.org/

ABQAURP EVENTS

33rd Annual Health Care Quality and Patient Safety Conference
Quality Nursing Symposium:
Your Evolving Role in Health Care

October 22, 2010
Lake Buena Vista, FL
www.abqaurp.org

33rd Annual Health Care Quality and Patient Safety Conference
Value, Quality, Safety, and Integrity:
The Essential Elements of Accountability

October 23, 2010
Lake Buena Vista, FL
www.abqaurp.org

Diplomate News

ABQAURP Diplomate attains Fellow status from ACHE

ABQAURP would like to congratulate one of our Diplomates, Theodore B. Podkul, Jr., on his advancement to Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, the nation’s leading professional society for healthcare executives. To obtain board certification and Fellow status from the Board of Governors, candidates must fulfill multiple requirements, including passing a comprehensive examination, meeting academic and experiential criteria, earning continuing education credits, and demonstrating professional/community involvement.
In his 40 years as a distinguished health systems executive, Mr. Podkul has also received national examination based certifications in health care compliance, behavioral health care management, and nursing home/assisted living management.
Mr. Podkul received his ABQAURP Certification in Health Care Quality and Management in 1987 and is a Fellow of ABQAURP’s American Institute for Healthcare Quality. He is currently a member of the ABQAURP Board of Directors and is serving as Secretary.

HCQM Certification Examination —
2010 Mentor Program a Success

The American Board of Quality Assurance & Utilization Review Physicians, Inc. would like to take this opportunity to say a very special thank you to all mentors and exam candidates who participated in this program. ABQAURP is pleased to offer this program. Along with being a valuable resource to exam candidates, it also encourages new Diplomates to actively participate in their new organization.

A team of “invited” new 2009 Diplomates were willing to volunteer their time to participate and support their new organization. The volunteer mentors were paired with 2010 exam candidates to share their experience of going through the exam process the previous year. Who better to provide first hand, non-biased experience than Diplomates recently HCQM certified?  The mentors were very happy to share their experience and individual style of exam preparation.

The program has been well received by both candidates and mentors. In 2009, 49% of examinees took advantage of the mentor program. In 2010, 65% of examinees requested a mentor.

Thank you to all of the exam candidates who requested a mentor. Very “special” thanks to the mentors who gave of their time and talent to make the program such a success. Mentor dedication and loyalty is vitally important to the success of this program.

Special thanks to the 2010 Mentors:

Nazareth Asorian, DO, FACOS
Lisa M. Campanella-Coppo, MD, FACEP
Suneetha Chowdary, MD
John G. Costa, MD, JD
Jennifer Early, RN, BSN    
Lillian G. Ferrer, MD
Ahmed A.H. Ghaneya, R.PH
Samuel Leonard, MD, MBA
Khaled Mahlies, MD
Ashraf Mohamed, MD
Jinhatha Panyasorn, DDS, MSc
Janice Ross, RN, MHA
Muhammad A. Seyed, MD

Professionals who have achieved certification in Health Care Quality and Management (HCQM) are deeply committed to patient safety, health care quality, and effective care. Those certified in HCQM have demonstrated superior skills in their ability to critically evaluate the literature, identify evidence-based best practices, and make a recommendation that balances appropriateness of services with cost and quality. HCQM certification addresses the need for effectiveness, efficiency, equity, safety, and timeliness.

New information for the 2011 HCQM Certification Examination is coming soon, please visit the website at www.abqaurp.org and choose Certification for more information.

 

 

ABQAURP
wants to recognize members for their achievements in advancing the
field of health care quality management and patient safety. Please send
your news to ABQAURP by email to feature@abqaurp.org for consideration.



American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians, Inc.
6640 Congress Street
New Port Richey, FL 34653
Toll- free 800/998-6030  •  Tel. 727/569-0190
Fax 727/569-0195  •  www.abqaurp.org