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Returning the Primary Care Physician to the Heart of Patient Care

With the renewed focus on supporting primary care, it’s possible that the concept of the patient-centered medical home model—which is defined by placing primary care near the center of a collaborative healthcare team focused on the patient’s complete wellness—may finally be seeing its time.

Believing Is Seeing

Business-to-consumer industries know how to collect data and turn it into information that prompts us to do things, including buying products and securing services. In some cases, these prompts are helpful (e.g., using Waze to display the best driving route and point out the nearest Dunkin’ Donuts).

Fluoroscopy-Associated Skin Reactions: Lessons From the VHA Root Cause Analysis Database

These complex procedures, while beneficial to the patient, are often lengthy and can lead to prolonged fluoroscopic cumulative exposures even when efforts are made to protect the patient from radiation. Affected patients can develop skin reactions ranging from mild erythema to extensive soft tissue injury necessitating major plastic surgery.

Mix-Ups Between Epidural Analgesia and IV Antibiotics in L&D Units Continue to Cause Harm

These mix-ups mimic previously published events and have similar contributing factors, including look-alike infusion bags, overlooked warning labels, and a point-of-care barcode medication administration system that was not fully engaged. However, unlike the prior events, drug shortages also played a role in the most recent errors.

Hospital-Owned Drug Company Aims for Transparent, Flat Pricing for Critical Generic Drugs

As healthcare organizations struggle to reduce costs and increasingly seek to include price considerations among the value they provide to patients, seven healthcare organizations representing more than 500 U.S. hospitals, together with three major philanthropies that have each committed $10 million to the organization, have developed what they see as a solution to the instability and unpredictability of costs for lifesaving medications.

Study: More Than Half of Hospital Infections Could Be Prevented With Proper Protocols

The release of the study was timed to coincide with Outbreak Prevention and Response Week, hosted by SHEA and key partners to raise awareness and provide resources to healthcare professionals, the infection prevention community, patients, and families on ways to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

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How Intermountain Reduced NICU Infections, Pain, Blood Loss
by HealthLeaders Media, April 16, 2019

In 2008, Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, Utah, launched an initiative to reduce infections and other harms linked to invasive procedures in the Intermountain Healthcare facility’s NICU.
FDA: Problems Persist With Duodenoscope Reprocessing
by Jay Kumar, April 16, 2019

The FDA analyzed 205 medical device reports received between October 15, 2018 and March 31, 2019 and found 45 reports of patient infection, one report of patient exposure, and 159 reports of device contamination, according to an FDA alert released last week.
Improve Medication Reconciliation, Postacute Handoff Using 2-Part Discharge Checklist
by HealthLeaders Media, April 12, 2019

Without a thorough discharge summary and completed medication reconciliation, postacute-care teams can be bewildered, and patients can be at risk of costly readmissions. Research has linked readmissions to poor communication and poor care coordination between hospitals and primary care providers.
Joint Commission to Publicly Report C-sections
by Accreditation Insider, April 10, 2019

Hospital rankings will be based on The Joint Commission’s perinatal care (PC) Cesarean Birth measure PC-02. Hospitals accredited by TJC are already required to report that data to the accreditor, but this will be the first time it’ll be visible to the public.
Multidrug-Resistant Infections Can Cost $4,600 Per Hospital Stay
by HealthLeaders Media, April 9, 2019

The development of antibiotic-resistant infections is one of the most severe public health problems in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Returning the Primary Care Physician to the Heart of Patient Care

Believing Is Seeing

Fluoroscopy-Associated Skin Reactions: Lessons From the VHA Root Cause Analysis Database

Mix-Ups Between Epidural Analgesia and IV Antibiotics in L&D Units Continue to Cause Harm

Hospital-Owned Drug Company Aims for Transparent, Flat Pricing for Critical Generic Drugs

PSQH Innovation Awards Winner: Thibodaux Regional Medical Center Transforms Orthopedic Care Processes

Study: More Than Half of Hospital Infections Could Be Prevented With Proper Protocols

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