Three Ways to Limit Overprescribing Antibiotics in the Urgent Care Setting
In July, CDC researchers published a study in JAMA Internal Medicine that found inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics for respiratory conditions was highest in the urgent care setting at 45.7% of patient visits. Emergency departments were the second highest at 24.6% of patient visits.
CMS Looks Into Whether AOs Have Conflicts of Interest
On December 18, the federal agency pre-published a request for information on “Medicare Program: Accrediting Organizations Conflict of Interest and Consulting Services.”
Nurses’ Union Supports Legislation to Prevent Workplace Violence
The bill would mandate that OSHA establish a national standard requiring healthcare and social service employers to create and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan.
Final Hazardous Waste Pharmaceutical Rule Issued by EPA
Three years after it was proposed, the final rule, now entitled “Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals and Amendment to the P0875 Listing for Nicotine” will likely be published in the Federal Register by the end of this month and go into effect six months after its publication in the Register.
SHEA Issues Infection Control Guidance for Anesthesiology
Published in SHEA’s journal Infection Control & Healthcare Epidemiology, the guidance provides steps for improving infection prevention using increased hand hygiene, environmental disinfection, and continuous improvement plans.
IHI Releases Framework for Board Governance of Health System Quality
The framework and tool are designed to help the approximately 80,000 health system trustees in the U.S. navigate the complex world of overseeing quality.
Joint Commission Revises Suicide Prevention National Patient Safety Goal
The revised requirements are based on more than a year of research, public field review, and analysis with multiple panels convened by TJC and representing provider organizations, suicide prevention experts, behavioral facility design experts, and other key stakeholders.
The Leapfrog Group Names 2018 Top Hospitals
Of the 118 Top Hospitals recognized in 23 states and the District of Columbia, 13 were children’s hospitals, 35 were general hospitals, 53 were teaching hospitals and 17 were rural hospitals.
Time to Deprescribe? Protect Patients From Inappropriate Medications
Pharmacists can play a key role in helping physicians discontinue inappropriate medications among older adults, researchers wrote recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Improved Hand Hygiene Can Help Prevent Spread of Post-Surgical Infections
The researchers from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics identified and characterized the epidemiology of particularly pathogenic S. aureus sequence types in the OR.