CMS Gives $347M to Improve Patient Safety
In the last week of September, CMS gave $347 million to 16 different hospital associations, Quality Improvement Organizations (QIO), and health system organizations to continue efforts in reducing Medicare readmission and hospital-acquired conditions.
FL Safety Initiative Saves $28.7M
In one year, Hospital Engagement Network programs that teach best practices and instill a culture of safety prevented at least 5,283 instances of patient harm in 77 hospitals across Florida.
Nudge Helps Practices with Antibiotics
A new study finds programs that appeal to the competitive spirit of physicians are effective in getting them to reduce their incidence of prescribing unnecessary antibiotics.
CDC awards $26 million for Prevention Epicenters
The CDC announced it will award $26 million to five academic medical centers to reduce infections and improve patient safety. The medical centers were provided funding through the Prevention Epicenters Program which has been extended through 2020. Already six other academic medical centers are working on similar research thanks to funding that was previously awarded … Continued
STEMI Initiative Cuts Response Time by 72%
A quality program at UNC Hospitals empowers non-physician clinicians to activate response teams for cardiology inpatients using triage protocols used by first responders.
UN Declares Drug Resistance a Global Threat
The fight against antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections has become a hot topic in 2016, and the United Nations (UN) has now joined the fray. This year, The Joint Commission and CMS making antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) mandatory for all healthcare facilities. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, 74 drug makers, 11 diagnostic test manufacturers, and … Continued
How MRSA Rates Sunk 42% at SC Health System
After a South Carolina health system introduced an electronic system for monitoring handwashing compliance among clinical staff, it saw MRSA rates plummet.
New Research Refines Approach to Hand Hygiene
A new CDC campaign, the ‘yuck factor,’ and new research on automated surveillance. Patient safety and infection control experts commonly refer to hand hygiene as the simplest, most effective way to prevent disease transmission. The only problem is healthcare providers still aren’t very good at it. According to the CDC, healthcare professionals wash their hands … Continued
Hospital Readmissions are Not the Enemy
The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services has all but declared war on readmissions. But one researcher suggests that the relationship between readmission rates and quality is flawed.
Vendor Error Leads to Breach
Medicare Compliance Watch CHI Franciscan Health Highline Medical Center (Highline) in Burien, Washington, is notifying more than 18,000 patients of a data breach affecting protected health information (PHI) stored with a vendor, Highline said in a statement. On July 22, R-C Healthcare Management, a vendor that performed services for Highline prior to 2014, informed the … Continued