GE today announced, as part of its healthymagination
initiative to increase access to technology and reduce cost, the launch
of a new program, Stimulus Simplicity, which offers doctors and
hospitals an easier path to electronic medical records (EMR) adoption.

Ten years ago, the Institute of Medicine (IOM)
sounded the alarm about the widespread toll of medical errors in a
groundbreaking report called “To Err is Human.” The report prompted a
rush of congressional hearings and promises of reform. But in the
decade since the report was published, little progress has been made
implementing key reforms recommended by the IOM to improve patient
safety, according to Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of
Consumer Reports.

Though a federal law requires hospitals to
report physicians who have had their admitting privileges revoked or
restricted for more than 30 days, a Public Citizen
report found that in addition to inadequate discipline
of physicians, hospitals routinely exploit loopholes to avoid
government requirements, with nearly half of all hospitals not
submitting a single doctor’s name to the NPDB in the more than 17 years it has existed.

ASQ (American Society for Quality) announces the
new Spencer Hutchens Jr. Medal for Social Responsibility. The medal
recognizes the achievements of an individual who demonstrates
outstanding leadership as an individual, business leader, and cause
advocate for social responsibility — primarily focusing on the
marketplace, environment, workplace, and community.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has
learned that some stolen vials of the long-acting insulin Levemir made
by Novo Nordisk Inc. have reappeared and are being sold in the U.S.
market.

The Cardinal Health Foundation today announced
it has awarded a total of $1 million in grant funding for new and
innovative programs to improve patient safety at 35 hospitals, health
systems and community health clinics across the country.

More than 80% of hospitals across the U.S. have implemented automated
dispensing cabinets (ADCs) as an important part of their drug
distribution system, making the evaluation of practices and policies
surrounding this technology an essential step in ensuring patient
safety.

By Susan Carr

In a page-one story on Sun., June 21, The New York Times
reported that significant errors persisted for more than six years at a
brachytherapy program at the Veterans’ Medical Center in Philadelphia
despite investigation. The Times reports that Dr. Gary D. Kao
implanted radioactive seeds incorrectly on repeated occasions as he
treated patients with prostate cancer.

Capsule (www.capsuletech.com), the leading provider of medical device connectivity, announced the release of the Capsule Neuron™, the first intelligent, touch screen platform for managing device connectivity at the bedside.

The Joint Commission is revising the 2009 National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) and the 2009 Universal Protocol to clarify language and make sure that they are relevant to the settings in which they apply.