Prescriber Training in Medication Management Improves Outcomes, Enhances CMS Quality Metrics
By Gregory A. Hood, MD, MACP; and Lori Dickerson, PharmD, FCCP
Medication management learning-based training helped Quality Independent Physicians (QIP), an accountable care organization (ACO) composed of primary care practices throughout Kentucky and Indiana, decrease hospitalizations across all disease states by 26%. QIP saw a similar drop in admissions for high-risk disease states and a significant reduction in hospital readmissions. The organization’s medication management learning program proved effective in boosting these and other important Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) quality scores, while helping successfully manage key, at-risk patient populations.
With today’s emphasis on healthcare quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, we’re always looking for ways to improve. We needed a focused effort to leverage medications to their maximal benefits, while avoiding difficult and potentially devastating mistakes. Well-researched and timely medication recommendations, a commitment to creating and communicating standardized clinical practice guidelines, and an inclusive atmosphere that encouraged organization-wide clinician buy-in were essential to the program’s results.
From Medicine to the Cloud: Technology in Healthcare
“Technology in healthcare” is a wide-ranging topic. It incorporates tiny bar-coded labels on medication and room-filling MRI machines and robotic surgery suites. Whether your facility is 10 years or 100 years old, its suites and treatment centers have been subjected to a variety of technical changes on a yearly basis. In older hospitals, keeping the … Continued
CDC’s Core Elements of Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs
Just over a year after President Barack Obama issued an executive order calling for federal agencies to combat antibiotic resistance, The Joint Commission has released proposed standards that would require a broad range of healthcare providers to implement a structured, evidence-based antimicrobial stewardship program.
JAMA: Nurses Key to Surviving Surgery
A study released in The Journal of the American Medical Association has found that surgical patients in hospitals with better nursing environments receive better care without drastically increasing costs. Researchers found the rate of 30-day mortality rates for postoperative patients was 4.8% at hospitals with more than 1.5 nurses per bed (NPB), while facilities with … Continued
Nominations Open for Sherman Award for Excellence in Patient Engagement
EngagingPatients.org, an online community dedicated to sharing best practices in patient and family engagement, is now accepting nominations for the 2016 John Q. Sherman Award for Excellence in Patient Engagement. Established in 2014, the Sherman Award is dedicated to recognizing innovative work that has resulted in better, safer care and improved outcomes by engaging patients … Continued
Olympus Recalls Duodenoscopes, FDA Approves New Model
Olympus Corp., the largest seller of duodenoscopes in the U.S., last week recalled all of its TJF-Q180V model scopes. The move came just one day after a Senate committee report linked Olympus products to 142 antibiotic-resistant infection (ARI) cases. Duodenoscopes are flexible cameras inserted into a patient’s mouth or digestive tract to diagnose a number … Continued
FDA Releases Cybersecurity Recommendations for Medical Device Manufacturers
Cybersecurity threats to medical devices are a growing concern. The FDA took a proactive step last week and released draft guidance last week encouraging medical device manufacturers to address certain cybersecurity risks to keep patients safe. Manufacturers should look beyond the initial security measures implemented in a medical device and consider additional safety measures throughout … Continued
C.diff Infection Raises Hospital Costs by 40% per Case
By Alexandra Pecci, for HealthLeaders Media
Treating Clostridium difficile adds about $7,285 in hospital costs per patient, not including readmissions, research finds.
It can be difficult to quantify the exact economic burden of C. diff on hospitals and the health system as a whole. But a recent study puts a dollar amount on the cost of C. diff, that number is not only big, but also likely underestimated.
Published in the November issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the study found that C. diff-associated diarrhea (CDAD) increases hospital costs by 40% per case and puts those infected at high risk for longer hospital stays and readmissions.
FDA validates revised reprocessing instructions for Model ED-530XT duodenoscopes
FUJIFILM Medical Systems issued revised reprocessing instructions late last month for Model ED-530XT duodenoscopes, according to a safety communication issued by the FDA. The instructions require exacting pre-cleaning, manual cleaning, and high-level disinfection procedures. While these revised reprocessing instructions are for Model ED-530XT duodenoscopes, the FDA is encouraging healthcare facilities that use Fuji’s 250 and … Continued
Study: Discharge notes are often written grades above patient reading levels
A study published in The American Journal of Surgery found that low literacy rates can drive up the number of hospital readmissions. Of the 497 patients studied, researchers found that only 24% had the reading skills necessary to understand their discharge instructions, with 65% reading a lower grade level than what their notes were written … Continued