How Telehealth and eConsults Are Reducing Patient Wait Times
The shortage of specialist physicians in the United States continues to receive a great deal of attention. However, a lesser-known compounding factor is the increase in referral rates to specialists.
“Alexa, What’s Wrong With Me?”
Chatbot uptake is rising rapidly. It is one of the fastest-growing segments in healthcare, with the market expected to be worth more than $314 million by 2023. As chatbots gain broader acceptance, the initial distrust surrounding them has ebbed.
How AI Can Impact Chronic Disease Management
Digital health management can be used to support patients outside the four walls of care delivery; it offers the potential to extend clinical resources, with some encouraging results.
Communication Determines Patient Safety
Partnerships with the patient start with cooperation and commitment, where the health professional must be close to the patient to act as a true “observer.” Observation allows the clinician to assess the patient’s needs and “essence,” enabling the relationship to grow and promoting favorable health outcomes.
Q&A: Dealing With Sexual Harassment in Healthcare
Kate Fenner, PhD, RN, is managing director of Compass Clinical Consulting, specializes in organizational optimization, performance improvement, and regulatory compliance. She spoke about how harassment allegations should be handled, preventive measures, and the need to take both seriously.
Q&A: Tim Vanderveen Discusses Advances in IV Therapy
In this interview, Tim Vanderveen, PharmD, a consultant with ICU Medical, discusses IV therapy and its impact on patient safety.
Don’t Air Your Dirty Laundry
Pests commonly seek places of warmth, with food, moisture, and shelter—and shared laundry facilities offer each of these draws. Because of this, pest management professionals are taking note and encouraging facility managers and staff to do the same.
Improving the Patient Experience Starts in the Waiting Room
Waiting rooms can be a major contributor to infections, with patients waiting an average of 20 minutes before seeing a doctor, according to the Medical Group Management Association. In fact, the CDC reports that one in 31 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection on any given day.
Use New Delays to Catch Up to More Stringent USP Requirements
Because new USP <800> Hazardous Drugs—Handling in Healthcare Settings refers to the other chapters, it is considered by USP to be “informational only” until the revisions are final. The Joint Commission has said it will continue to survey hospitals to the current USP compounding chapters but will expect hospitals to meet the requirements of local AHJs, as always.
Lehman Report Analyzes Cost of Medical Errors Despite Healthcare Progress
The latest report from the Center, titled The Financial and Human Cost of Medical Error, sought to analyze the financial and human cost of medical errors—both in Massachusetts and nationwide—associated with services covered by health insurance.