New Toolkits Ease the Transition from Pediatric to Adult Healthcare
For young adults who have been diagnosed with a chronic condition like Type 1 diabetes or growth hormone deficiency, health concerns can add a degree of difficulty to transitions like leaving for college or living alone for the first time. The new Transitions of Care initiative spearheaded by the Endocrine Society provides interactive toolkits to help young adults who have hormone conditions navigate the shift from a pediatric to an adult healthcare team.
Report: Changes to Graduate Medical Education Needed for Future of Physician Workforce
Since the creation of the Medicare and Medicaid programs in 1965, the public has provided tens of billions of dollars to fund graduate medical education (GME), the period of residency and fellowship that is provided to physicians after they receive a medical degree.
Quality Initiative Focuses on Cellulitis and the Problem of Diagnostic Error
Cellulitis is a common infection that affects the skin and subcutaneous tissues and results in significant morbidity and associated healthcare costs. In fact, more than $3.7 billion were spent on 240,000 inpatient admissions for cellulitis in the United States in 2004 (Solucient, 2006). In addition to these costs, more than 14.5 million individuals were treated in offices, hospital outpatient clinics, and emergency departments for skin infections in 2005 (Hersh, Chambers, Maselli, & Gonzales, 2008).
Improving Safety and Quality with Best Practices: Focus on Central Venous Access
A recent CDC report found that 1 in 25 hospital patients develop healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). According to the report, about 75,000 of these patients die during their hospital stay.
Why So Little Coverage of Improvement?
On May 7, the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) reported on the effects of federal efforts to decrease the rates of hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) and readmissions. These efforts, implemented through a system of Hospital Engagement Networks (HENs), have been supported with funding from the Affordable Care Act (ACA), starting with grants to the HENs in October 2011.
New HHS Data Show Quality Improvements
The Department of Health and Human Services announced that new preliminary data show an overall nine percent decrease in hospital acquired conditions nationally during 2011 and 2012. National reductions in adverse drug events, falls, infections, and other forms of hospital-induced harm are estimated to have prevented nearly 15,000 deaths in hospitals, avoided 560,000 patient injuries, and approximately $4 billion in health spending over the same period.
Medical Devices: Who Needs to Read Device Instructions?
Essentially all medical devices used in hospitals come with a user instruction manual, commonly called Instructions for Use (IFU) or Directions for Use. Typically an IFU includes basic operational “how to” information as well as pages of warnings, cautions, and other general or device-specific information beyond simply how to operate the device.
Longer Nurse Tenure on Hospital Units Leads to Higher Quality Care
When it comes to the cost and quality of hospital care, nurse tenure and teamwork matters. Patients get the best care when they are treated in units that are staffed by nurses who have extensive experience in their current job, according to a study from researchers at Columbia University School of Nursing and Columbia Business School.
AHA Launches Symposium for Healthcare Quality Leaders to Increase Patient Safety Improvements
To further cement its commitment to improve quality and patient safety in America’s hospitals, the American Hospital Association is launching a new forum – the Symposium for Leaders in Healthcare Quality (SLHQ). SLHQ provides healthcare improvement professionals a setting to collaborate and share best practices to improve quality and patient safety.
Borgess Health Implements Nuance Solution to Drive Improved Quality Scores
Nuance Communications, Inc. has announced that Borgess Health, which provides care to nearly one million people across southwest Michigan, has secured $9 million in additional appropriate revenue within one year of implementing the Nuance Compliant Documentation Management Program (CDMP®), part of the Nuance Clintegrity 360 | CDI solution.