Technology

First Databank Releases Major Innovation to Address Medication Alert Fatigue in HIT Systems

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South San Francisco—First Databank (FDB), a leading provider of clinical drug knowledge that improves medication-related decisions and patient outcomes, announced its new alert management solution, FDB AlertSpace™, designed to address alert fatigue in computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems, has achieved unprecedented industry acceptance among various U.S. hospital institutions.

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Risk Management

Study Shows Nurses Exposed to Risks During Insertion and Removal of Peripheral IV Catheter

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Sandy, Utah—About one in two nurses experience blood exposure, other than from a needlestick, on their skin or in their eyes, nose or mouth at least once a month when inserting a peripheral intravenous (IV) catheter, according to a new study by the International Healthcare Worker Safety Center at the University of Virginia.[1] Exposure to blood carries the risk of infection from pathogens such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV) and MRSA.

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Technology

iSirona Debuts DeviceConX 4.0

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Panama City, Florida—iSirona®, a provider of simplified solutions for medical device integration, today announced DeviceConX 4.0, iSirona’s latest version of its connectivity software. Key components of this latest version include an enterprise architecture and management console, which provide a truly enterprise-level solution for device connectivity management.

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Infection Control

JCI, SHEA Release “Best Practices in Infection Prevention and Control: An International Perspective, Second Edition”

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Oak Brook, Illinois—Teaming up to provide an essential infection prevention and control (IPC) resource for health care organizations around the globe, Joint Commission International (JCI) and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) announce the publication of Best Practices in Infection Prevention and Control: An International Perspective, Second Edition. JCI is a not-for-profit affiliate of The Joint Commission.

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Technology

HIMSS and MGMA-ACMPE Collaborate on Health Information Exchange Toolkit

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Englewood, Colorado and Chicago—To help physician practices navigate the challenging health information exchange (HIE) environment, HIMSS and MGMA-ACMPE have introduced a new online resource, The Ambulatory Health Information Exchange Toolkit . The toolkit, targeted to ambulatory practices, serves as an important resource for practices looking for a pathway toward sharing and receiving patient information in an electronic format and participating in a health information exchange organization.

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Technology

True Process Acquires VeriScan from Hospira

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Milwaukee, Wisconsin—True Process, Inc., a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, healthcare information technology services provider and software engineering firm, has purchased VeriScan from Hospira, Inc., the world’s leading provider of injectable drugs and infusion technologies.

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Accreditation & Regulation

The Joint Commission Awards First Advanced Certifications for Palliative Care

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Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois—Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn.; Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y.; Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New York; City; St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, Pontiac, Mich.; and The Connecticut Hospice, Inc. in Branford, Conn. have become the first hospitals across the country to receive Advanced Certification for Palliative Care from The Joint Commission.

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Team Training

Texas Children’s Hospital to Provide Simulation Training to Houston Fire Department

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Houston, Texas—Simulation Center at Texas Children’s Hospital has begun providing Pediatric Simulation Training for Emergency Pre-hospital Providers (Pedi-STEPPs) to members of the Houston Fire Department (HFD) EMS. A grant from the Cullen Trust for Healthcare, as well as a community benefit donation from Texas Children’s Hospital will allow this innovative training to be offered free of charge to the City for 500 firefighters over the next two years.

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Patient Safety

Stories of Success

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By Susan Carr

I have the pleasure of serving on the review board for Stories of Success, a program co-sponsored by HIMSS, ASQ, NCQA, and NPSF, which provides examples of health IT implementations that demonstrate safety and quality improvement in patient care.

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Environment and Facilities

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Announces New Program to Help Primary Care Practices

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Princeton, New Jersey—At a time when a shortage of primary care providers is threatening the accessibility and quality of care in the country, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is teaming with the Group Health Research Institute on a new national program designed to identify creative practices that make primary care more efficient and effective.

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