ECRI Institute Takes Steps in Improving Health IT Safety
The Partnership for Health IT Patient Safety, an innovative and collaborative multi-stakeholder effort, took important steps in improving health IT safety at its first in-person meeting held in September at ECRI Institute’s U.S. headquarters outside Philadelphia.
NPSF Names Don Berwick and Kaveh Shojania as Co-Chairs of Expert Panel on Patient Safety
The healthcare field has made significant effort to accelerate patient safety since publication of To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System, the Institute of Medicine’s groundbreaking 1999 report on medical errors.
National Patient Safety Foundation To Provide Oversight of Research Study on Pneumonia in Hospitalized Patients
The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF), a central voice for patient safety since 1997, will provide oversight for a research study that is seeking a better understanding of non-ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP).
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Awards IHI $4.8 Million to Improve Health
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has awarded a $4.8 million grant to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) to help communities develop capability to improve health and to spread effective community-driven approaches to help build a Culture of Health.
New Patient Safety Center at VA Pittsburgh Evaluates Medical Products for National Use
The Department of Veterans Affairs has established the new Center for Medical Product End-user Testing at VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. This center, based at the healthcare system’s University Drive campus, is responsible for evaluating medical products before they are purchased and used to treat Veterans at VA medical facilities across the country.
Vocera Addresses Population Health with Enhanced Care Coordination Solution
Vocera Communications, Inc., a provider of intelligent, real-time communication and collaboration solutions for mission-critical mobile environments, will provide a cloud-based secure text messaging solution as a benefit to all of its U.S. healthcare customers, at no additional cost, for use by any of their affiliated healthcare providers.
Clinical Engineering and IT Excellence Recognized by ACCE-HIMSS
Erin M. Sparnon has been named the recipient of the 2014 ACCE-HIMSS Excellence in Clinical Engineering and Information Technology Synergies Award, a joint award sponsored by the American College of Clinical Engineering (ACCE) and HIMSS. The boards of directors of both organizations selected the recipient.
HHS Proposes Path to Improve Health Technology and Transform Care
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released Connecting Health and Care for the Nation: A Shared Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap Version 1.0. The draft Roadmap is a proposal to deliver better care and result in healthier people through the safe and secure exchange and use of electronic health information.
Aquisition Brings Cultural Transformation Expertise for Healthcare Provider Clients
Huron Consulting Group Inc., a provider of business consulting services, has entered into an agreement to acquire Studer Group, a professional services firm that assists healthcare providers achieve cultural transformation to deliver and sustain exceptional improvement in clinical outcomes and financial results.
Update Clinical Communication Strategy, Not Just the BYOD Policy
Step into most healthcare facilities and you will notice that while community physicians are openly using their smartphones, employed clinicians are carrying voice-only phones, multiple pagers, or wearable voice-activated two-way communication devices provided by their employers. Hospitals report that 67% of nurses use their personal smartphones for clinical communications, while 89% of hospitals say they do not allow nurses to use them during their work shift (Spyglass Consulting Group, 2014).