Outperform the Competition: Hospital Value-Based Purchasing

By Jeffrey Robbins

Competition to capture the highest incentive payments from the Medicare Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program is going to be very tight. "Even if you are above the 90th percentile, you could still have a very poor score and leave money on the table," said Tami Lewis in a recent Modern Healthcare article (McKinney, 2012).

The IT/Clinical Engineering Governance Gap

Is your organization ready to support safety-critical systems?

By Tim Gee

With certain patient safety issues, the "system" is responsible for the root cause of a problem rather than the actions of those participating in the situation resulting in an adverse event. Clinical activities to which "the system" may contribute risk  include patient handoffs between clinicians, medication administration, diagnosis of disease, and many others.

Hand Hygiene: Necessary but Not Sufficient

By Tom Inglesby

Common sense, at least since Antonie van Leeuwenhoek in 1676 and Louis Pasteur in 1862, has dictated that we should be cautious of germs. Leeuwenhoek is credited with being the first microbiologist and Pasteur with developing germ theory in his work in the same field. Today, everyone in the hospital—where patients are weakened and more susceptible to HAI (hospital-acquired infection)—is admonished to avoid contact with germ-contaminated surfaces.

Partnership Improves OB Safety in New York State

Unique state initiative focuses on team training to standardize and manage EFM.

By Kathleen Ciccone, RN, MBA; Christa R. Christakis, MPP; Andrea Mathis, MPH; and Patricia Montone Charvat

The safety of mothers and babies is paramount—and there have been significant technological advancements that help to ensure healthier babies and improved fetal outcomes. Although there are many avenues and approaches to obstetrical (OB) safety, in New York State a unique partnership between physicians and other clinicians, hospitals, and the state health department is focused on standardizing the definitions and interpretation of electronic fetal monitoring (EFM).

Taking a DNA "Time Out" to Ensure Accuracy

By Andrew S. Kenler, MD

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the United States. In fact, it accounts for nearly one in three cancers diagnosed in U.S. women (2012).