Articles Tagged With:
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CORRECTION
From last month's issue. -
Readmission Rates for Bariatric Surgery Drop with QI
Thirty-day readmission rates for bariatric surgery patients can be reduced by implementing a series of quality improvement efforts, according to recent research. Some of the top performers in the study more than doubled the average readmission reduction.
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Physicians Unlikely to Reveal Errors to Patients, Study Says
Primary care physicians are willing to report medical errors within the healthcare organization, but are not as likely to tell the patients, according to a recent study from the School of Public Health at Georgia State University in Atlanta.
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C. Difficile Reduced 75% with Targeted Interventions
A hospital in Medford, OR, reduced its rates of C. difficile infections by three-fourths with a targeted approach intended to identify exactly what strategy is the most effective after previous attempts left hospital leaders wondering which of several interventions had worked.
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Look for Variations in Data, Seek Out Causes
Studying a range of data sets at your hospital may reveal opportunities to improve outcomes and cut costs, says Nancy Lakier, RN, BSN, MBA, CEO and managing principal of Novia Strategies, a consulting company based in Poway, CA. The outliers and unusual numbers will point you toward issues that need more investigation, she says.
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Reduce Clinical Variation to Improve Quality, Resource Use
Clinical variation is the bane of many healthcare leaders, including quality leaders who realize it’s not acceptable to have better processes and outcomes in some areas but not in others. Standardizing clinical resources and processes can significantly improve quality while also reducing costs and resource use.
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Hospitals Revamping EDs to Serve Elderly
Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City opened its geriatric ED in 2012 after realizing the growing elderly patient population needed more directed attention than they could receive in the normal ED. Mt. Sinai had already responded with an expanded volunteer program aimed at assisting the elderly, says Denise Nassisi, MD, director of the geriatric ED.
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Geriatric-Friendly EDs Improve Quality, Outcomes and Satisfaction
Hospitals are finding that EDs designated specifically for geriatric patients can improve quality of care and patient satisfaction for an aging population, but it also is possible to make existing EDs more geriatric-friendly and reap the same benefits.
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HHS: Efforts to Make Healthcare Safer Saves Lives
Report highlights 21% decline in hospital-acquired conditions over five-year period.
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Male Hypogonadism
Testosterone replacement therapy is a growing industry that deserves discussion between patients and their healthcare providers. Recently, many insights into new formulations, advertising, and potential risks have heightened the controversy surrounding low testosterone syndrome, appropriate diagnosis, and risks and benefits of testosterone supplementation. A plethora of non-regulated supplements termed “testosterone boosters” are being marketed directly to the public without adequate assessment. Therefore, it is important for healthcare providers to be familiar with how to conduct and interpret diagnostic tests as well as with appropriate use of TRT as established by various medical organizations, including the Endocrine Society. This review will discuss the definitions, pathophysiology, causes, clinical manifestations, appropriate diagnostic testing procedures, and the role of testosterone supplementation with currently available formulations, with special attention to efficacy and adverse effects in hypogonadism in men.