Real Healthcare Reform
By Susan Carr
Although political discussion of healthcare reform in the United States today tends toward buzzwords and scare tactics, profound changes to healthcare delivery are currently underway. At the Quality Colloquium, which I’m attending this week, providers, executives, consultants, and consumers/patients are talking about transformative changes in the way care is delivered and in the definition of “healthcare” itself.
Enhanced Critical Test Results Management Solution Improves Patient Care
Covidien Announces FDA 510(k) Clearance of the Nellcor Bedside SpO2 Patient Monitoring System
Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products and recognized innovator in patient monitoring and respiratory care solutions, has been granted 510(k) clearance to market the Covidien Nellcor Bedside SpO2Patient Monitoring System by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
PSO Services Group Launches National Medical Safety Board
The PSO Services Group, LLC, a Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) AHRQ listed National Patient Safety Organization (PSO), has launched a multi-disciplinary National Medical Safety Board (NMSB), designed along the lines of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Cardinal Health Foundation Provides $1.1 Million in Grant Funding to Improve Patient Safety
The Cardinal Health Foundation has announced 42 grants, totaling nearly $1.1 million, to help U.S. hospitals, health systems and community health organizations improve the effectiveness, efficiency and excellence of patient care.
Virtual Quality Improvement Collaborative Improves Quality and Safety in Hospitals
Solutions to ER Crowding Are “Grossly Underused”
Joint Commission Issues New Sentinel Event Alert: Safe Use of Opioids in Hospitals
Although hospital patients may need the strong pain relief that only opioids can provide, a Sentinel Event Alert issued on August 8 by The Joint Commission urges hospitals to take specific steps to prevent serious complications or even deaths from opioid use.
BlueCross Grant Extends Surgical Care Improvement Effort
Reducing Mislabeled Specimens
Outcome Engenuity and the South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA) are offering information and a free toolkit for an intervention designed to reduce the rate of mislabeled blood specimens in hospitals. The process, The Final Check, is designed to be simple enough to be done reliably every time a specimen is collected.