FDA Proposes Ban on Most Powdered Surgical Gloves
On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed banning most powdered gloves in the U.S. While the use of these gloves is on the decline, the risks associated with them for both healthcare workers and patients, cannot be corrected through new or updated labeling, says the FDA. “This ban is about protecting patients … Continued
AHIMA Seeks Public Support for National Patient ID
By John Commins, HealthLeaders Media Advocates for a voluntary patient safety identifier envision a process that would allow patients to create a way for medical systems to recognize them quickly and accurately, in much the same way as financial sector businesses. A leading trade group for the nation’s health information technology sector is asking patients … Continued
Joint Commission Releases 2015 Sentinel Event Stats
Last week, The Joint Commission released its sentinel event statistics from 2015. Of the 936 sentinel events reported last year, the most common were unintended retention of a foreign body (116), wrong-site/wrong-side/wrong procedure surgery (111), falls (95), and suicides (95). The most common root causes of sentinel events last year were human factors (e.g., staff … Continued
Alarm Management Compliance Shifts into Second Gear
In the second phase of The Joint Commission’s alarm management NPSG, hospitals aim to put policy into practice For the last two years, healthcare organizations have been working to comply with the first phase of The Joint Commission’s alarm management National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG). As of January 1, 2016, they’ll have to contend with … Continued
New Sentinel Event Alert Focuses on Preventing Patient Suicide
The Joint Commission released a new Sentinel Event Alert last week, aimed at helping healthcare providers to better identify and treat patients at risk for suicide. Over 1,000 patient suicides were recorded in The Joint Commission Sentinel Event Database between 2010 and 2014. According to SEA 56, the most common cause to the patient suicides … Continued
Bribery on Two Continents: Olympus Corp. to Pay $646 million settlement
On March 1, the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Olympus Corp. with paying millions of dollars in kickbacks to hospitals and doctors to buy its products. The company, which owns 85% of the U.S. endoscope market, has agreed to pay $646 million to resolve the criminal charges and civil charges brought against it. The sum … Continued
AHRQ releases new tool to reduce CAUTI
Building on its Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) recently released a new toolkit aimed at reducing catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) in hospitals. Released in October 2015, the toolkit consists of three modules: implementation, sustainability, and resources. Hospitals can use … Continued
FDA: Top Three Duodenoscope Makers Release Updated Instructions
On February 19, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that reprocessing instructions for Pentax duodenoscopes had been validated and approved by the agency. The announcement means that scopes from the three major manufactures, Olympus, Fujifilm, and Pentax, are now safe to use with their updated instructions. Five months ago, the FDA issued safety warning … Continued
CMS Announces Standardized Quality Measures
CMS and America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) released seven quality measures yesterday that aim to reduce the cost of measuring clinical quality while supporting multi-payer alignment on core measures for physician quality programs. The new measure sets will improve informed consumer decision-making, reduce variability in measure selection, collection burden, and cost, according to CMS. “In … Continued
Prescriber Training in Medication Management Improves Outcomes, Enhances CMS Quality Metrics
By Gregory A. Hood, MD, MACP; and Lori Dickerson, PharmD, FCCP
Medication management learning-based training helped Quality Independent Physicians (QIP), an accountable care organization (ACO) composed of primary care practices throughout Kentucky and Indiana, decrease hospitalizations across all disease states by 26%. QIP saw a similar drop in admissions for high-risk disease states and a significant reduction in hospital readmissions. The organization’s medication management learning program proved effective in boosting these and other important Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) quality scores, while helping successfully manage key, at-risk patient populations.
With today’s emphasis on healthcare quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, we’re always looking for ways to improve. We needed a focused effort to leverage medications to their maximal benefits, while avoiding difficult and potentially devastating mistakes. Well-researched and timely medication recommendations, a commitment to creating and communicating standardized clinical practice guidelines, and an inclusive atmosphere that encouraged organization-wide clinician buy-in were essential to the program’s results.