Virtual Quality Improvement Collaborative Improves Quality and Safety in Hospitals
BlueCross Grant Extends Surgical Care Improvement Effort
Reducing Mislabeled Specimens
Outcome Engenuity and the South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA) are offering information and a free toolkit for an intervention designed to reduce the rate of mislabeled blood specimens in hospitals. The process, The Final Check, is designed to be simple enough to be done reliably every time a specimen is collected.
Four Hospitals Honored for Commitment to Quality
Hospital Associations Awarded for Leadership in Quality Improvement
On July 18, the American Hospital Association (AHA) announced that the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) and the South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA) will receive the Dick Davidson Quality Milestone Award for Allied Association Leadership for their work to improve health care quality.
Checklist Reminds Caregivers of Essential Steps
The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS), an advocacy group devoted to improving patient health and safety, has announced the release of a concise checklist that reminds caregivers of the essential steps needed to be taken to initiate Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) with a patient and to continue to assess that patient’s use of PCA.
Clarity PSO Releases White Paper on Best Practices in Radiology
Clarity PSO, a Division of Clarity Group, Inc., has released a white paper that describes best practices in radiology peer review, introduces philosophies of a “just culture,” and demonstrates how such an approach can lead to improved physician performance and quality care.
Tool to Tackle Miscommunication Among Caregivers Released
An estimated 80 percent of serious medical errors involve miscommunication between caregivers when patients are transferred or handed-off. In addition to patient harm, defective hand-offs can lead to delays in treatment, inappropriate treatment, and increased length of stay in the hospital.
GE Healthcare to Collaborate with Leading Healthcare Systems to Reduce Patient CT Radiation Dose by Up to 50 Percent
In late June, GE Healthcare unveiled the GE Blueprint for low dose, a comprehensive program that helps healthcare providers integrate CT technologies, education and process improvements, and data analysis to reduce patient radiation dose from Computed Tomography (CT) by up to 50 percent.
Independa to Expand Health Monitoring Services for Elderly
Telehealth provides new options for higher-quality, lower-cost monitoring, but interoperability issues have hampered its adoption. To minimize those challenges and add flexibility, Independa has announced that it will incorporate the 2net Platform from Qualcomm Life Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, into its Artemis suite of telecare monitoring solutions for the elderly and their caregivers.