Focusing on Hand Hygiene to Prevent HAIs
The report, Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections Through Hand Hygiene: 2022 Update, was published in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. The Society of Healthcare Epidemiologists of America gathered the subject matter experts who performed and managed the report’s literature review.
To Fix Medicare Spending, Prevent Fractures Among Aging Americans
Almost one in six Americans are at increased risk of a fracture due to osteoporosis or low bone mass. Each year, 1.8 million Medicare beneficiaries suffer more than 2 million osteoporotic fractures, which lead to 432,000 hospital admissions and 180,000 nursing home admissions.
A National Patient Identifier Is Up for Debate. Patient Safety Is Not
Misspellings, address changes, maiden and married names, and many other factors make it difficult to match people to their medical records. In fact, the accuracy of matching patients to their records can be as low as 80% within a single care setting and as low as 50% among organizations that share electronic health information.
CMS Investigates Two Hospitals Who Refused Woman an Abortion
According to news reports, the woman was told by doctors at the hospitals in Kansas and Missouri that she faced sepsis and possible loss of her uterus but could not get an abortion in either state because of recently passed laws.
The Leapfrog Group Launches ‘Innovators for Leapfrog’ Program
Innovators for Leapfrog (IFL) was created for Leapfrog’s community of over 42,000 professionals in healthcare quality, hospital leadership, payors, employers, and other stakeholders who support Leapfrog’s work to transform patient safety in the U.S.
Counting Will Resume for Minimums for Ventricular Assist Device Procedures at End of PHE
For hospitals with cardiac programs that include performing ventricular assist device (VAD) implants, The Joint Commission offers the reminder that as of May 12, 2023, CMS will resume monitoring the number of procedures done by the VAD team as part of determining coverage under Medicare.
Should a Pharmacist Be Allowed to Deliver Primary Care Services?
Primary care providers are under a lot of stress these days. Pharmacists can help them. That was the takeaway from an intriguing panel at last week’s HIMSS 2023 conference and exhibition in Chicago.
The Exec: Healthcare’s Workforce Shortage Prevents Patients From Getting Needed Care
Besides obvious staffing issues, healthcare’s workforce shortage is preventing patients from receiving the care they need due to the lack of providers, Leonardo Seoane, MD, executive vice president and chief academic officer at Ochnser Health, testified during a recent U.S. Senate hearing on the workforce shortage in the healthcare sector.
Share Your Insight on Nursing and Patient Safety
We are pleased to invite you to participate in a brief survey that looks at nursing’s impact on patient safety.
Quick Safety 69: Preventing Burns from Laparoscopy and Arthroscopy
On April 10, The Joint Commission published Quick Safety Issue 69: Preventing light source-related burns from laparoscopy and arthroscopy. Both arthroscopy and laparoscopy are done by inserting a narrow tube and fiber-optic camera into a small incision. For the camera to see anything in the incision, there needs to be adequate lighting, either using lamps or light cables.