Using the best emergency physicians and data can improve specialist coverage for the ED. Another strategy is to work with physicians for early exams the next morning.
The CMS recently proposed new standards intended to enhance patient safety and improve the quality of care in hospitals. Among several initiatives, the rule seeks to reduce overuse of antibiotics and implement comprehensive requirements for infection prevention.
Hospitals could save up to $284 million annually under the new rule, CMS said. The rule also would advance protections for traditionally underserved and often excluded populations based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity), age, disability, or sexual orientation, CMS said.
The proposed rule also requires critical access hospitals to implement and maintain a Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) program. A QAPI program monitors a hospital’s care by collecting data to identify opportunities for improvement and develop corrective plans, CMS explained. Other hospitals participating in Medicare or Medicaid already maintain these types of programs, but the rule proposes extending QAPI to critical access facilities in rural areas.
The proposed rule marks the first time that CMS has proposed explicitly to prohibit hospitals that accept Medicare and Medicaid from discriminating against patients, said Cara James, PhD, director of the CMS Office of Minority Health, in a statement accompanying the announcement. “We know that barriers still remain in accessing quality care for communities that have been traditionally excluded or underserved,” James said. “This proposal reinforces the principle that access to needed health services should not be blocked because of discriminatory practices.”
The proposed rule would make clarifications to current requirements, including that all patient medical records must document discharge and transfer summaries, including any patient discharge instructions.
You may see the proposal at http://1.usa.gov/1Q1fAbE. Comments will be accepted until Aug. 15, 2016. Submit comments at http://go.cms.gov/1UsA65d.
