Mixing Medicine
The Joint Commission unveiled a Medication Compounding Certification (MCC) program that’s open to all compounding pharmacies, not just those accredited by The Joint Commission. The accreditor also called upon healthcare providers to work toward the elimination of medication compounding-related infections (MCRI) like the meningitis outbreak.
CMS Clarifies Which Doors Must Be Inspected Annually
After pushback, federal officials backed away from their claim that smoke barrier doors must be inspected and tested annually.
CBO: Killing Cost-Sharing Subsidies Would Hike Silver Plan Premiums And Deficit
Health insurance premiums for silver plans would soar by an average of 20 percent next year and the federal deficit would rise by $194 billion over the next decade.
Diagnosing Human Trafficking When A Patient Is A Victim
The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) is launching a new national initiative on human trafficking and healthcare. The initiative will include tools for human trafficking awareness and prevention in healthcare, as well as the formation of the Alliance for Care Coordination of Children in Human Trafficking.
Accreditors Can Keep Their Hospital Inspection Reports Secret, Feds Decide
Reversing course, federal health officials withdrew a proposal that would have required private accrediting organizations to publicly release reports of problems they found in health care facilities. Accreditors and hospitals had panned the idea; consumer advocates and business groups supported it.
Solving the Physician Shortage with International Med Students
No matter how you slice the data, there’s a physician shortage coming—and some states are preparing to be harder hit than others.
The latest report from the Association of American Medical Colleges on the topic, released in April 2016, revealed that over the next decade the United States will face a labor shortage of between 61,700 and 94,700 physicians, with a significant shortage among many surgical specialties. By 2025, the study estimates a shortfall of between 14,900 and 35,600 primary care physicians. Non–primary care specialties are expected to experience a shortfall of between 37,400 and 60,300 physicians.
Be Prepared For Summer Patient Safety Hazards
Hospital EDs are extremely busy during the summer months because of accidents and injuries. While there’s no word yet on whether 2017 will break a heat record (though we hope not), you can expect it to bring a familiar brand of dangerous situations. But are you prepared for them?
Improving Transgender Patient Care
The single most important thing a physician can do in caring for transgender patients, is to advise them where to find counselors who can provide appropriate gender dysphoria therapy. Why? The transgender population is at nine times the risk for attempted suicide as the general population.
Two Effective Initiatives for C-Suite Leaders to Improve Medication Safety and the Reliability of Outcomes
To achieve extraordinary results, senior leaders must put in a lot of heavy lifting, tackling one type of undesired safety outcome at a time
Fundamentally Human: Learning By Design
Simulations are carried out in the actual clinical areas of care, and with strong objectives, pre-briefs, and debriefs, can also achieve significant outcomes without substantial investment.