CMS Announces Opportunities to Expand Mental Health Treatment
CMS reached out to state Medicaid directors to outline existing and new opportunities, including a new chance for states to receive authority to pay for short-term residential treatment services in an institution for mental disease for these patients.
CDC Highlights Antibiotic Awareness Week
At least 30% of the antibiotics in U.S. outpatient settings are prescribed unnecessarily, according to the CDC. Annually, at least 2 million people become infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria and 23,000 people die as a result.
Massachusetts Voters Say ‘No’ to Mandatory Nurse-Patient Ratios
For months, the law has been hotly debated. Those in favor said it would improve patient safety and care. Those opposed said it didn’t account for patient acuity and would create a financial burden on hospitals and healthcare systems.
Case Study: Human Trafficking Prevention at Dignity Health
Between 2007 and 2017, the National Human Trafficking Hotline has identified 43,564 human trafficking victims living in the U.S. At least 88% of these victims visit a healthcare provider at least once during their captivity and aren’t recognized as victims, say experts.
CMS Extends Time to Finalize Discharge Planning Proposal
CMS took the unusual step on October 30 of announcing a year’s time extension to publish the final rule. The extension runs through November 3, 2019.
Tapping Patient Engagement to Reduce Diagnostic Errors
The research features an examination of 184 narratives from patients or family members about diagnostic errors collected in a new database maintained by the Empowered Patient Coalition.
Five Keys to a Successful Mobile Communications Strategy
By facilitating real-time connections and information sharing among caregivers, they help resolve some of healthcare’s most intractable, harmful, and costly problems: communication failures, delays, and errors.
Telehealth: A Primer
Telehealth, as defined by the Health Resources Services Administration, is the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration.
CMS is Intensifying Focus on Legionella
CMS recently updated a memo to its survey teams on reducing the risk of Legionella bacteria to specifically note that facilities must have a water management plan that surveyors can review.
Physician Burnout Poses Patient Safety Risk
The meta-analysis of 47 studies, published in the Journal of American Medical Association Internal Medicine, included more than 40,000 physicians.