Watchdog Group Surveys Outpatient Surgery Facilities for Safety and Quality
Leapfrog has been collecting patient safety and quality data about hospital inpatient facilities for years. With more than 60% of surgical procedures now possible to perform at ASCs and HOPDs, the Washington, DC-based watchdog organization decided to expand collection of data to these same-day surgery settings.
APIC Study Finds Infection Control Certification Leads to Better Outcomes
Researchers at Columbia University School of Nursing conducted a national study of more than 800 nursing homes in 2018 to evaluate the effectiveness of antibiotic stewardship programs.
Report Offers Solutions to Prevent Caregiver Burnout
Called “Taking Action Against Clinician Burnout: A Systems Approach to Professional Well-Being,” the report was prepared by the Committee on Systems Approaches to Improve Patient Care by Supporting Clinician Well-Being.
High-risk Patients Have Lower Mortality Rates at Major Teaching Hospitals
The 30-day mortality rate for these high-risk patients was 15.9% at major teaching hospitals, compared with 18.2% at non-teaching hospitals, according to researchers at Penn Medicine, who examined the medical records of 350,000 Medicare beneficiaries who underwent general, vascular or orthopedic surgery at 2,780 hospitals across the country, including 340 major teaching hospitals.
Knock Pressure Injury Rates Down to Zero
In 2018, the team set out to achieve zero Stage 3 and Stage 4 pressure injuries developed by patients after a hospital admission. Through education, risk assessment, and other prevention protocols, the goal was met in quarter three of 2018. In recognition of its work, the team received the 3M Award for Excellence in Skin Safety in June 2019.
Opioid Epidemic Linked to $205B in Excess Healthcare Spending Over 4 Years
The $205 billion attributable to excess healthcare spending between 2015 and 2018 included providing medical care for opioid addicts and infants born with neonatal opioid-related conditions, and other family members bearing costs associated with those diagnoses.
AdventHealth Uses AI to Balance Capacity Issues Among 9 Hospitals
Fueled by AI and predictive analytics, which amass data from multiple sources, a team of more than 50 nurses, EMS and flight dispatchers, transport techs, and other specialists work in the 12,000-square-foot facility with 60 monitors to oversee activities on nine campuses with 3,200 beds and more than 2 million patient visits per year.
Q&A: Dealing With Sexual Harassment in Healthcare
Kate Fenner, PhD, RN, is managing director of Compass Clinical Consulting, specializes in organizational optimization, performance improvement, and regulatory compliance. She spoke about how harassment allegations should be handled, preventive measures, and the need to take both seriously.
CDC Urges Pregnant Women to Get Vaccinated
The lack of vaccination puts the health of both the mother and child at risk, the CDC said, as women with influenza are twice as likely to be hospitalized if they are pregnant and nearly 70% of whooping cough deaths came from babies less than two months old.
Infection Control is Front and Center at Annual Joint Commission Session
Infection control dominated the day’s presentations, which also looked at expectations for sterile compounding, Legionella control, using personal protective equipment, medication management, lowering maternal death rates, and, of course, ligature risk and suicide prevention.