-
Imagine the ongoing dismay of a high school math teacher who year in and year out has to teach students how to do the problems the right way, and year in and year out sees the same mistakes over and over again.
-
The final rule related to recovery audit contractors (RACs) for Medicaid was released in mid-September (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-09-16/pdf/2011-23695.pdf), just over three months before it goes into effect. It provides a variety of guidance and opt-outs for states that have many compliance experts scratching their heads.
-
Being accredited by The Joint Commission makes a difference in outcomes for patients with certain diagnoses, according to a study in the October issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
-
-
They come from 45 states, represent 14% of Joint Commission-accredited hospitals, and are the first class of hospitals to be recognized as top performers in the commission's annual report.
-
The National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) honored several people in September for their efforts to improve quality and safety in healthcare.
-
Cleaning patient's rooms may not seem like the most important job in the hospital. But environmental service workers save lives in their own way by preventing the spread of infections. A new spotlight on their role may boost the resources, communication and training focused on this group of workers.
-
An unannounced inspector from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) walks into the hospital and summons the infection preventionist. Looking down at a clipboard, he asks: "What were the last two hospital acquired infections that were serious preventable adverse events in the hospital, [meaning they caused] patient harm or death following development of the infection? What was done about each?"
-
In the latest in a remarkable surge of infection prevention initiatives, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent healthcare associated infections in dialysis facilities.
-
Growing anti-regulatory pressure in a down economy to say nothing of presidential politics as an election year looms are making it exceeding difficult for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to advance its controversial proposed infectious disease standard to protect health care workers.
