Transitions of Care is defined as the movement of patients from one practice setting to another. Transitions happen when moving from one care provider to another, changing the health care setting, or even moving to another level of care within the same setting. During these transitions, poor coordination between providers, patients, and caregivers can lead to medical errors, bad outcomes, and even life-threatening situations.

Medication mishaps are the most common errors in healthcare. Indeed, medication errors represent the most frequently reported events submitted to ECRI Institute Patient Safety Organization (PSO)—comprising about 30% of all events.

The Federal Communications Commission has advanced its wireless health care agenda by adopting rules that will enable Medical Body Area Networks (MBANs), low-power wideband 
networks consisting of multiple body-worn sensors that transmit a variety of patient data to a control device. MBAN devices free patients from cumbersome cables that tether them to their hospital bed. MBANs provide a cost effective way to monitor every patient in a healthcare institution, so clinicians can provide real-time and accurate data, allowing them to intervene and save lives.

Communication and collaboration are critical elements of success for effective work environments, particularly in health care. When these elements break down, the result can be a cascade of negative events. Yet when collaboration is strong, it reaps positive benefits on the workplace culture and patient outcomes.

Smiths Medical, a leading global medical device manufacturer, announced on April 23 that its ViaValve Safety I.V. Catheter has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and can be marketed in the United States.

The National Quality Forum (NQF) Board of Directors has endorsed two measures that address all-cause unplanned readmissions in hospitals – an area of healthcare targeted for improvement given national imperatives to make healthcare safer, more affordable, and keep people healthy.

Phytel, the leader in physician-led population health improvement, and the Joslin Diabetes Center, a Harvard Medical School affiliate in the forefront of the fight against diabetes, recently announced their collaboration on a landmark research initiative to compare the accuracy and predictive value of current assessment methodologies for continuing medical education (CME) programs. The results will be used to inform ongoing efforts to improve diabetes care.