Exploring Post-Discharge Spaces Designed to Eliminate Gaps in Care
At the end of a hospital stay, many patients find themselves overwhelmed by their experience as well as the often lengthy care directions they’ve been given. Others might find themselves pushed into another care place, one that may not have the resources or focus to holistically address their problems. Too often patients find themselves released from the hospital, only to wind up back in that hospital bed within the 30-day readmission window—a metric closely watched by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and hospitals everywhere.
Savviest ACOs Leverage Health Plan Resources
More than ever before, physicians and health plans have compelling reasons to work together to achieve the Triple Aim, which means improving consumers’ health outcomes, their experience of care, and the costs associated with that care. In the years since the Affordable Care Act was enacted, value-based care models that more closely align providers and health plans with the shared goals of improving healthcare quality and cost have gained traction.
STEMI Initiative Cuts Response Time by 72%
A quality program at UNC Hospitals empowers non-physician clinicians to activate response teams for cardiology inpatients using triage protocols used by first responders.
Surgeons Take Sides on Transplant Proposal
Proponents claim a new donor liver allocation plan would be more equitable for patients; foes say it could raise costs and close programs.
Patient Identification Deficiencies Plague Quality of Care
Before receiving care at a medical facility – before even seeing a doctor or a nurse – every patient has to go through the simple registration process.
But that seemingly simple process is rife with complications that can linger throughout every step of a patient’s stay, creating the potential for inefficient care, unnecessary tests, and serious medical errors.
HRSA Awards Grants to Improve Primary Care and Telehealth in Rural Communities
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is awarding more than $16 million in grants for providers serving rural communities. Sixty rural communities in 32 states will receive grants. Seven rural health research centers will also be beneficiaries.
ACS Lays Out Attire Guidelines for Surgeons
By Alexandra Wilson Pecci In addition to reflecting patients’ preferences for a professional manner of dress, the attire guidelines for surgeons also incorporate concerns over quality of care and patient safety. Wearing soiled scrubs in front of family members, letting surgical masks dangle, and leaving large sideburns uncontained during surgery are all no-nos for … Continued
Advancing the Role of Nursing, Optimizing Quality Clinical Care
By Dan O’Connor, RN As health information technology (IT) continues to evolve, leveraging more clinical information and adapting to changes in quality reporting, informatics is assuming a larger role in nursing practice. A new and exciting role outside traditional nursing, nursing informatics integrates data, information, and knowledge to support patient and provider decision-making through information … Continued
MACRA Targets Meaningful in Meaningful Use
By Barry P. Chaiken, MD, MPH The 2015 Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) opened the way for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to streamline the quality improvement and healthcare information technology programs it built over the past several years. Since the passage of the 2009 HITECH Act, the quality … Continued
To Do No Harm, Rethink How to Measure Hand Hygiene
By Paul Alper, BA Primum non nocere is a Latin phrase that means, “First, do no harm.” It is a precept taught to healthcare students around the world and paraphrased in the Hippocratic Oath. Unfortunately, a vast amount of avoidable harm still takes place in healthcare settings worldwide. The good news is that a new … Continued