True Process Acquires VeriScan from Hospira
Milwaukee, Wisconsin—True Process, Inc., a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, healthcare information technology services provider and software engineering firm, has purchased VeriScan from Hospira, Inc., the world’s leading provider of injectable drugs and infusion technologies.
The Joint Commission Awards First Advanced Certifications for Palliative Care
Texas Children’s Hospital to Provide Simulation Training to Houston Fire Department
Houston, Texas—Simulation Center at Texas Children’s Hospital has begun providing Pediatric Simulation Training for Emergency Pre-hospital Providers (Pedi-STEPPs) to members of the Houston Fire Department (HFD) EMS. A grant from the Cullen Trust for Healthcare, as well as a community benefit donation from Texas Children’s Hospital will allow this innovative training to be offered free of charge to the City for 500 firefighters over the next two years.
Stories of Success
I have the pleasure of serving on the review board for Stories of Success, a program co-sponsored by HIMSS, ASQ, NCQA, and NPSF, which provides examples of health IT implementations that demonstrate safety and quality improvement in patient care.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Announces New Program to Help Primary Care Practices
Princeton, New Jersey—At a time when a shortage of primary care providers is threatening the accessibility and quality of care in the country, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is teaming with the Group Health Research Institute on a new national program designed to identify creative practices that make primary care more efficient and effective.
GE Healthcare Initiates Evaluation Period for New Global Patient Safety Network
Barrington, Illinois—GE Healthcare Performance Solutions, a unit of GE Healthcare announced the launch of a 90-day evaluation for its Global Patient Safety Network (GPSN), an online community for hospitals to collaborate with peers around the world with the goal of improving patient safety.
NQF President and CEO Janet Corrigan Announces Plans to Step Down
The National Quality Forum (NQF) Board of Directors has announced that NQF’s President and CEO Janet Corrigan has submitted her resignation, effective late June 2012. Corrigan has served as NQF’s President and CEO for more than six years.
Bioquell Bug Stoppers Raise Awareness in Fight Against HAIs
New SAFE CARE Program to Provide Patient Education at Bedside
Encouraging patients and their families to take an active role in their health care by becoming involved and informed is critical. In celebration of Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 4-10, a unique patient safety education program will be released to provide patients and their families with instant access to current patient safety videos at their bedside and while receiving care. The 2012 SAFE CARE Patient Safety Education Program, is a free offering developed to assist health care organizations in educating patients to help prevent medical errors.
Patient Safety and Health IT
Classen predicts IOM report will be ‘To Err Is Human’ for technology vendors.
Patient safety was one of many topics on the agenda at HIMSS12—the health information technology (IT) conference that drew more than 37,000 professionals to Las Vegas Feb. 21–24. One session in particular highlighted how far we still have to go in providing reliable, safe care and in understanding the role of health IT in safety.