Study: Patient Safety Incidents at U.S. Hospitals Show No Decline, Cost $9 Billion
Nearly one million patient-safety incidents occurred among Medicare
patients over the years 2006, 2007, 2008, a figure virtually unchanged
since last year’s annual study of patient safety by HealthGrades, the
leading independent healthcare ratings organization. In all, the
incidents were associated with $8.9 billion in costs.
AHRQ Releases Common Formats Version 1.1 for Reporting Patient Safety Data
Common Formats Version 1.1 is now available and replaces Version 1.0.
Baxa Corporation Introduces DoseEdge™ TPN Pharmacy Workflow Management Software for TPN Compounding
Baxa Corporation, a leading provider of medical devices and systems
that automate pharmacy operations and increase patient safety, announced the release of DoseEdge TPN, the industry’s first product for
completely managing the workflow for automated TPN production.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center Selects Accelarad’s SeeMyRadiology.com Service
SeeMyRadiology.com, Accelarad’s new online medical image cloud
computing service, announced its launch with Vanderbilt
University Medical Center (VUMC), bringing new medical image exchange
technology to VUMC, a leader in the Southeast’s medical education,
research and patient care.
Silver Hill Psychiatric Hospital Implements OpenVista EHR to Promote Patient Safety
Silver Hill Hospital and Medsphere Systems Corporation announced the
successful implementation of Medsphere’s OpenVista® electronic health
record solution at the nationally recognized psychiatric hospital.
Beyond Center Stage at HIMSS
The annual conference of the Health Information and Management Systems Society, HIMSS, is notorious for its size. This year’s event — March 1-4 in Atlanta — drew 27,855 health IT professionals, clinicians, and vendor representatives. The Exhibit Hall featured 934 companies and was packed most of the time.
Clinical Trial Results Demonstrate Copper Reduces MRSA & VRE in Hospital Rooms
Recent clinical tests demonstrate that antimicrobial copper is
effective in significantly reducing the bacterial load in intensive
care unit (ICU) patient rooms and on many individual objects in those
rooms.
Joint Commission Approves Revised Medical Staff Bylaws Standard MS.01.01.01
The Joint Commission announced the approval of revisions to Medical
Staff Standard MS.01.01.01, formerly known as MS.1.20, that is designed
to contribute to patient safety and quality of care through the support
of a well-functioning, positive relationship between a hospital’s
Medical Staff and Governing Body.
Physician-led Initiative to Improve Healthcare Quality Marks 10-Year Anniversary
Celebrating its 10 year anniversary at its meeting in the nation’s
capital, the AMA-convened Physician Consortium for Performance
Improvement (PCPI) highlighted its achievements to date and took a
proactive look at future efforts to measure and improve the quality of
patient care.
Studies Show Significant Increases of C. Difficile Infections (CDI)
Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs) are quickly becoming a
significant issue in healthcare based upon recent studies. Preliminary
data collected from nursing homes and highlighted in a Supplementary
Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisory shows that almost 40 percent of
gastrointestinal infections reported are CDIs.