July/August 2014 Quality Conundrums Lynn Helmer, MD, MBA, CHCQM • ABQAURP Diplomate since 1998 • http://www.drdnj.com Patient Privacy versus Patient Branding – A Quality Conundrum? Is patient privacy a thing of the past? Even in a world of HIPAA compliance, there remains ample opportunity for patients to be, or feel, violated. Have branding and … Continued

Careful use of terminology is essential in patient safety literature. Lucian Leape (1994) takes great care to define terms in his foundational article, “Error in Medicine.” Using the construct originated by James Reason, he defines error as “an unintended act (either of omission or commission) or one that does not achieve its intended outcome” (p. 1851).

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and city officials hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking in September to announce the Community Health and Literacy Center, which will provide healthcare, literacy, and recreational services in one location for children and families in South Philadelphia.

The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) has launched the Fundamental Use of Surgical Energy™ (FUSE) training program.

Are you ready for the design changes coming soon for enteral feeding device connectors? While the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) and other organizations and agencies have repeatedly publicized upcoming global changes with all enteral device connectors, we are not confident…

Pay-for-performance initiatives have put hospital readmissions front-and-center in the national healthcare discussion. Now in its second year, for example, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) continues to evolve…

Emergency evacuation preparedness is on every health facility manager’s priority list. If patients are not provided with safe and realistic means of evacuation in the event of an emergency, how can an organization claim it provides quality care at the facility?

Risk management professionals should not take lightly the complexity associated with providing healthcare services. While regulations, third-party payer requirements, and licensing/accreditation standards contribute to this complexity, formalized policies and procedures can mitigate it by promoting workplace safety, regulatory compliance, and the delivery of safe, high-quality patient care.

Patient safety has been a priority in the healthcare industry for 15 years. Despite the call to action provided by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1999 (Kohn, Corrigan & Donaldson, 2000), studies 5 and 10 years later revealed that while improvements in safety have been made…