Safety for All: Integrated Design for Inpatient Units
By James M. Hunt, AIA, NCARB: and David M. Sine, DrBE, CSP, ARM, CPHRM The concept of integrated healthcare – treating the whole person and all of his or her diagnoses, including mental illness, in one location with one team of clinicians—has gained considerable traction in the literature (U.S. Department of Health & Human … Continued
The Safety Culture Issue
The following is a guest article by Dan Scungio, MT (ASCP), SLS, a Laboratory Safety Officer for Sentara Healthcare, a multi-hospital system in the Tidewater region of Virginia. Editor’s Note: This piece originally appeared on HCPro’s OSHA Healthcare Advisor. On which side of the aisle do you stand on the subject of change? Things change … 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
Medical Device Vulnerabilities High on CIO’s List of Worries
By Scott Mace, HealthLeaders Media This article originally appeared in HealthLeaders Media. As HIMSS gets underway, the healthcare IT world is still shaking from last month’s audacious privacy breach at a California hospital. Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital paid a $17,000 ransom to a criminal enterprise that broke into the hospital’s system, encrypted data, and demanded an … Continued
Nurse Renewal Rooms Benefit Patients, Too
By Jennifer Thew, HealthLeaders Media This article originally appeared in HealthLeaders Media. Hoping to counter stress and compassion fatigue, one hospital has created private spaces for its nurses to process their emotions before returning to their patients, refocused. At least one study links better nursing environments to better patient outcomes. Crying at work is traditionally … 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
C.diff Infection Raises Hospital Costs by 40% per Case
By Alexandra Pecci, for HealthLeaders Media
Treating Clostridium difficile adds about $7,285 in hospital costs per patient, not including readmissions, research finds.
It can be difficult to quantify the exact economic burden of C. diff on hospitals and the health system as a whole. But a recent study puts a dollar amount on the cost of C. diff, that number is not only big, but also likely underestimated.
Published in the November issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the study found that C. diff-associated diarrhea (CDAD) increases hospital costs by 40% per case and puts those infected at high risk for longer hospital stays and readmissions.
Spectra 900 UVC Overhead Light Disinfection System for Labs, Operating Rooms, and Telemedicine
Spectra254, a provider of UVC light disinfection solutions, has released the Spectra 900 Series Overhead Cleaning System, a fixed decontamination system similar to a ceiling light fixture that kills MRSA, Clostridium difficile (C. difficile), and other pathogens. Using three custom-built germicidal bulbs with protective FEP sleeves, the Spectra 900 Series Overhead Cleaning System is appropriate … Continued
Adverse Events: Recognizing, Reporting, Analyzing
While we must continue to emphasize to all members of the care team that they are the front line to preventing errors, taking a systems or holistic approach will greatly assist in making adverse events rarer. Aiding in the implementation of the latter are many companies that provide incident reporting, analysis, and review systems.
CMS Extends Funding for Hospital Engagement Networks
On September 25, 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded $110 million to 17 national, regional, or state hospital associations and health system organizations to fund a second round of Hospital Engagement Networks (HEN), which will extend through September 2016. The contracts are part of the Partnership for Patients, a nationwide public-private … Continued