Social Technologies: Meeting the Challenges of Population Health

Social Technologies

Meeting the Challenges of Population Health

 

Social technologies offer powerful tools that can be applied in healthcare settings to improve the quality of care and patient safety, especially as the U.S. healthcare delivery system transforms to accommodate changes brought about by the Affordable Care Act and aging baby boomers.

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Staffing: New Nurse Turnover and Patient Safety: What’s the Problem?

Staffing

New Nurse Turnover and Patient Safety: What’s the Problem?

 

Ineffective staffing programs are often the invisible factors that cause the best intentioned patient safety programs to collapse. Positive patient care outcomes depend on a “point of excellence” where the clinician and the patient interact synergistically every time. Variability between clinicians because of nurse turnover blocks the chances of achieving excellence, which is particularly harmful when it involves the new nurse.

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Infection Control: Basic and Advanced

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Infection Control: Basic and Advanced

An estimated 30,800 fewer invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections occurred in the United States in 2011 compared to 2005, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s the good news.

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News

News

Strategic Radiology Establishes PSO to Improve Quality and Safety

 

Early this year Strategic Radiology Patient Safety Organization LLC was announced as a component entity of Strategic Radiology LLC, an affiliation of 16 group practices representing more than 1,200 radiologists. The new patient safety organization (PSO) was listed by the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on June 19, 2013, signifying that its certifications have been accepted by the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) and making it the first radiology-specific PSO in the country.

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Competition Opens for Young Physicians Patient Safety Award

Entries are now being accepted for the 2014 Young Physicians Patient Safety Award, The Doctors Company Foundation announced. Medical students and residents are eligible to compete for six $5,000 awards. Winners will also receive travel to the Association of American Medical College’s Integrating Quality meeting in Chicago June 12–13, 2014, where the awards will be presented.

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Holiday Shopping

Still hunting for that perfect holiday gift for the coder on your list? This illustrated guide to weird entries in ICD-10 could be just what the, um… doctor ordered. Struck by Orca includes more than 30 ICD-10 codes for the unfortunate, often surprising things that turn people into patients, including Y92.253 Opera house as the place of occurrence of the external cause, Y93.D1 Activity, knitting and crocheting and V91.07xD Burn due to water-skis on fire, subsequent encounter.

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ECRI Institute Releases New Safety Guidance for Patients and Caregivers Using Home Infusion Technology

Home infusion improves quality of life for individuals requiring extended infusion therapy, but caregivers must take some precautions to minimize risk. To help patients and caregivers improve safety when using medical technology in the home, ECRI Institute and The Healthcare Technology Foundation, have created a free informational video and patient guide entitled “Home Infusion: A Safety Guide for Patients and Caregivers.”

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