Q&A: CDC Town Hall Addresses Preventing Legionella Contamination
In early June, CMS issued a new memo to surveyors on the importance of reducing cases of Legionella infections. Not long after, the CDC issued a Vital Signs report underlining the bacterium’s risk to patients. The following is an edited Q&A from the CDC Vital Signs Town Hall, “Health Care-Associated Legionnaires’ Disease: Protect Patients With Prevention and Early Recognition.”
Double-Booked: When Surgeons Operate On Two Patients At Once
Critics of the practice, who include some surgeons and patient-safety advocates, say that double-booking adds unnecessary risk, erodes trust and primarily enriches specialists. They say surgery is not piecework and cannot be scheduled like trains: Unexpected complications are not uncommon.
Transitional Care Gets a Room of Its Own
As emergency rooms see long lines and post-discharge patients roam hallways, dedicated space for transitional care is once again on the minds of many care quality advocates.
Opinion: Uniqueness is Not Unique
With all the regulatory and reimbursement changes occurring in our industry at an ever-increasing rate, one thing is for certain: Your organization is not unique. When speaking to organizations, I often hear things like, “Well, we don’t have the resources that the university hospital has” from community hospitals and then the university hospitals will … Continued
Federal Task Force Calls Cybersecurity a Public Health Concern
Staffing problems and outdated equipment and software are healthcare’s top cybersecurity challenges, according to a June 2 report released by the Health Care Industry Cybersecurity Task Force, a federal task force established to fulfill requirements of the 21st Century Cures Act.
Three Keys to Preventing Workplace Violence
This article originally appeared in the June issue of Patient Safety Monitor Jounal. This spring, Ann Scott Blouin, RN, PhD, FACHE, executive vice president of The Joint Commission, wrote a blog post detailing the need for a practical approach to healthcare’s endemic workplace violence (WPV) problem. In 2013, more than 70% of the 23,000 significant … Continued
Infusion Errors, Instrument Cleaning Lead ECRI List of Top Tech Hazards
The ECRI Institute published its annual list of the top 10 health technology hazards for the industry. Readers will note that several of the top hazards in 2017 are the same as those in 2016.
Data on Social Needs May Redefine Precision Healthcare
Data derived from the non-medical drivers of a patient’s health can improve quality of care and enrich the utility of so-called intelligent machines.
Burned Out or Under the Influence?
By the time the general public hears about an impaired clinician, whether it’s a nurse, technician, or physician, it’s usually after something bad has already happened. The infamous case of a New Hampshire technician who stole painkiller syringes and exposed thousands of patients to hepatitis C is just one example. The following is an edited Q&A with Judy Kees, a regional coach leader at Studer Group with human resource executive experience at several health systems. PSMJ spoke with Kees on how to deal with an impaired employee, how to identify the problem before harm is done, and what your obligations are afterwards.
Using Data Analytics to Change Behavior
The data-analytics application works in conjunction with the smart pump system to create a continuous quality loop to strengthen patient safety, opportunities for improvement, and data-driven insights.