InterSystems HealthShare to Improve Patient Experience, Coordinated Care at North Shore-LIJ Health System
The North Shore-LIJ Health System, one of the nation’s largest healthcare systems, has selected InterSystems, a global leader in software for connected care, to implement a secure technology infrastructure that will connect all of the health system’s clinical and business systems.
Final HHS Health IT Safety Plan Issued
A plan to guide health information technology (IT) activities across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to eliminate medical errors, protect patients, and improve the quality and efficiency of health care has been issued by HHS.
AHA Endorses Simulation Based Training from Medical Simulation Corporation and Raytheon
The American Hospital Association (AHA) announced today that it has exclusively endorsed Simulation Based Training from Medical Simulation Corporation (MSC) and Raytheon Professional Services (RPS).
Long-Term and Acute-Care Organizations Collaborate to Fight Infection
PSQH, like most of the safety and quality improvement community, has focused primarily on hospitals and increasingly on primary care. At the annual conference of the Association of Professionals in Infection Control (APIC) earlier this month, I learned about important improvement work underway in long-term care (LTC) facilities. Current trends, such as the growth of accountable care and baby boomers easing into old age, will bring increasing attention to the quality and efficiency of LTC. Based on what I heard at APIC, there’s valuable work being done, success stories to share, and tremendous—if elementary—challenges ahead.
Stanley Healthcare Launches the Hugs Infant Protection Solution on Wi-Fi
Stanley Healthcare, a market leading provider of safety, security and operational efficiency solutions for the healthcare industry, launched the new generation of the Hugs® solution, now available on the AeroScout® Wi-Fi-based RTLS Platform, the KLAS Category Leader for RTLS.
High Rate of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Found in Small Community Hospitals
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most frequent healthcare-associated infections found in intensive-care units (ICUs). New research on the prevalence of VAP in community hospitals shows small hospitals (less than 30,000 patient-days/year) have a higher rate of VAP than their larger counterparts, despite less use of ventilators.
Pilot Program Using Telemedicine to Decrease Emergency Room Wait Times
Emergency department (ED) overcrowding has been a major issue nationally for 20 years and continues to increase in severity. To address this issue, a pilot study has been launched at UC San Diego Health System’s ED to use telemedicine as a way to help address crowding and decrease patient wait times. The study is the first of its kind in California to use cameras to bring on-call doctors who are outside of the hospital to the patient in need.
Program Integrates Data Patients Collect at Home with Medical Records
The Center for Connected Health, a division of Partners HealthCare, has launched a pioneering program to support a re-designed care delivery system. Patient data collected at home, including vital signs such as blood pressure, weight and blood glucose, are now being transmitted electronically and viewable through the Partners HealthCare medical records system, making this important data accessible within the established clinical workflow.
New AACN Practice Alert Aims to Improve Patient Safety, Minimize Alarm Fatigue
Clinical alarms designed to alert nurses to changes in their patients’ conditions have become a continual barrage of noise that poses a significant threat to patient safety, according to the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). A new AACN Practice Alert outlines evidence-based protocols to reduce false or non-actionable alarms and improve the effective use of these monitoring aids.
PCORI, NIA Partner on Developing Study of Prevention of Falls Injuries in Older Adults
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has announced an agreement with the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to form a partnership to fund a major intervention study aimed at preventing injuries from falls in older adults.