OSHA Proceeds With Healthcare COVID-19 Rule
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has scheduled an April 27 public hearing on establishing a permanent healthcare COVID-19 standard. The agency is seeking input on changes to its June 21, 2021, emergency temporary standard (ETS). All but the recordkeeping provisions of the ETS was withdrawn on December 27.
Point-of-Care Ultrasound: A Life-Saving Game Changer
Modern ultrasound technology can be a game changer, particularly for remote organizations with limited resources and staff. Point-of-care ultrasound specifically offers portability, ease of use, and immediate access. Sometimes, those benefits can even be a case of life or death.
Treating Patients in Postacute Care: SNF vs. Home
A recent survey published by Brigham and Women’s Hospital revealed a shift in postacute care, with a move from skilled nursing facility (SNF) environments to home-based services. The survey followed 10 participants, randomly assigned to either rehabilitation at home or traditional SNF care. The results: Those recovering at home saw both a decrease in the cost of care and an increase in their activities of daily living, such as personal hygiene and feeding themselves.
How New Health Plan Initiatives in Equity Could Reshape Patient Care and Experience
Currently, many health plan members are not achieving their optimal health outcomes, and this can be manifested by missed preventive care opportunities, less activation in their care, or rating health plans poorly on quality measurement surveys. For health plans and their provider partners, now is the time to shift this dynamic by devoting greater resources toward improving health equity, in combination with other calls for change, including equity initiatives espoused by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and new accreditations offered by the NCQA.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 50 – Using Technology to Improve Senior Care
On episode 50 of PSQH: The Podcast, Janet Dillione, CEO of Connect America, talks about how technology can improve senior care.
Intermountain Expands its Inpatient Remote Monitoring Program
The Salt Lake City-based health system is using the money to purchase 70 camera and microphone units, which will be posted in inpatient rooms in Intermountain hospitals throughout the state. The video feed is monitored by clinical staff in Salt Lake City, giving those smaller, rural hospital an extra set of eyes and ears and an on-demand link to providers in an emergency.
How Structured Reporting Can Lead to Better Patient Outcomes
A coalition of 14 professional societies, led by the American College of Cardiology and by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, estimates that only 10% of United States cardiac catheterization labs use structured reporting to improve efficiency and bolster patient outcomes.
DNV Resumes All Annual Surveys Onsite and Unannounced
Noting that the AO said in January that it was likely to continue the remote annual surveys through at least April, DNV announced through an advisory March 23 that “COVID-19 positivity rates, hospitalizations, and community transmission have dropped significantly, making it much safer to return to onsite survey activities.”
Former Nurse’s Criminal Conviction Will Have a ‘Chilling Effect’ on Healthcare
Vaught was convicted Friday of a 2017 fatal drug error after a three-day trial that continues to capture the attention of nurses across the country, many of whom worry that the case could set a precedent of criminalizing medical errors. Vaught, scheduled to be sentenced May 13, faces three to six years in prison for neglect and one to two years for negligent homicide.
Physicians Eager to Help Address Patients’ Social Drivers of Health
The survey was conducted by The Physician Foundation from Feb. 2 to Feb. 11. Data was collected from more than 1,500 physicians. One-third of the physicians who responded to the survey practice primary care, which was defined as family medicine, general practice, internal medicine, or pediatrics. The remaining survey respondents practice in one of two dozen specialties.