New Organization Offers Patient Safety Certification

The Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety (CBPPS) has announced the official launch date for the highly-anticipated Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) exam. This credentialing process is designed to establish patient safety competency standards and elevate the professional stature of healthcare professionals who meet knowledge requirements in safety science, human factors engineering, and the practice of safe care.

In recognition of the advancement of patient safety as an acknowledged and critical discipline across the care continuum,  testing for the CPPS credential will be made available as Patient Safety Awareness Week kicks off globally on March 5, 2012.

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Health IT rEsources

HIMSS12 — the 2012 edition of the biggest gathering of people interested in health information technology (HIT) — is less than a month away. Although often thought of as the bastion of HIT corporations, HIMSS has become an active proponent of social media and efforts to include patients and consumers in HIT. The annual HIMSS conference is one of the best resources for information and opportunities to “meetup” with leaders in social media and networking. In preparation for this year’s event (Feb. 20 to 24 in Las Vegas), I offer links to some HIMSS sessions and other resources for information about social media in healthcare:

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IMCO Technologies Debuts ED Discrepancy Module

IMCO-STAT ED Discrepancy is designed to streamline the workflow process of ED physicians sending critical patient diagnosis to the radiologist. The system notifies the radiologist of the ED information and allows the radiologist to agree or disagree with the ED diagnosis based on the exam. If there is a discrepancy, the system automatically alerts the ED physician for immediate attention, and creates an audit trail of all communications.

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Independa and LG Team to Provide Industry-First Suite of TV-Based Eldercare Services to Senior Living Market

Nearly 1 in 8 Americans are age 65 or older, with higher percentages in countries such as Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom. To serve the rapidly-growing aging population, Independa announced a strategic relationship with Zenith, the U.S. R&D subsidiary of LG Electronics, to deploy technology that will provide residents of eldercare facilities an industry-first suite of video calling, messaging, reminders and other services that enables them to keep in touch with professional and family caregivers.

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Medical Image Exchange Enables Faster Diagnosis, Improved Outcomes and More

eHealth Global Technologies, Inc. (eHGT) and OptumInsight will deploy an innovative medical image exchange service for HEALTHeLINK, a Regional Health Information Organization serving eight counties of western New York, including Buffalo and Niagara Falls. This partnership will enable faster diagnosis and treatment, improved outcomes, reduced radiation exposure and health care cost reductions.

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Number of Adverse Health Events in Minnesota Hospitals Increases Slightly in 2011

The number of reportable adverse events in Minnesota hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and community behavioral health hospitals increased from 305 in 2010 to 316 in 2011, according to a report released by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Despite the increase, the number of events resulting in serious injury or death to a patient decreased from 107 in 2010 to 89 in 2011.

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