Hospital Peer Review – October 1, 2003
October 1, 2003
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Requirements on core performance measures are set to increase
Are you ready to add another set of core measures to your to-do list? There is no doubt that the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations new requirement for gathering data on an additional set of performance measures, effective January 2004, will increase your workload significantly. -
Recent power outage puts spotlight on problem areas
When a patient in a wheelchair needs to get from an upper floor to street level after dialysis, the elevators are inoperable. -
Accreditation Field Report: Tips from a recent JCAHO survey
During a July 2003 Joint Commission survey at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, two areas took center stage: patient safety and performance improvement. Everywhere surveyors went, they would ask staff what they have done to improve patient safety in the area, and what the area has done for performance improvement, reports Sharon A. Chinn, RN, the facilitys patient care services manager of regulations and outcomes. -
New quality trend puts spotlight on success
When you do a root-cause analysis or educate staff about improving patient safety, do you sometimes feel your message is all doom and gloom? If so, take note of a growing trend, which spotlights events that went well, as opposed to what went wrong. -
Will new survey process threaten confidentiality?
In addition to preparing staff for unannounced surveys and ensuring continuous preparedness, you also may have looming concerns about legal disclosure related to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations new accreditation process. -
The Quality-Cost Connection: Are nursing home residents safe?
Health care quality managers often oversee patient safety activities in a variety of health care settings. One area of considerable media attention right now is the quality of nursing home care. Because many integrated health care delivery systems include some level of long-term care, quality managers need to understand high-priority resident safety concerns so that effective monitoring and improvement initiatives can be developed. -
Audio conference clarifies final EMTALA regulations
To provide you with critical information on the updated regulations from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Thomson American Health Consultants offers New EMTALA Regulations: Are They Too Good to be True? an audio conference on Tuesday, Oct. 21, from 2:30-3:30 p.m., EST. -
Discharge Planning Advisor: Independent CMs face greater HIPAA challenge
Whether as employees of a covered health care entity or independent business associates, case managers must ensure that they are in compliance with the privacy requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). -
Discharge Planning Advisor: CM, DP communications covered in HIPAA FAQs
Here are a two frequently asked questions from the Department of Health and Human Services HIPAA web site that specifically address the types of communication that case managers and discharge planners engage in -
Discharge Planning Advisor: Enhance care by making CM part of Medicare
Even with their dependence on health maintenance organizations (HMOs), many of the nations elderly suffer from a lack of coordinated care, are often confused about their treatment - including proper use of medications - and frequently end up in the hospital for lack of proper preventive measures. -
Discharge Planning Advisor: How to determine ‘What’s a business associate?’
Case managers sometimes are confused as to what constitutes a business associate as referred to in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), notes Cathy Kauffman-Nearhoof, RN, BSN, CCM, NMCC, CLNC, owner of Integrist Healthcare Consulting in Duncansville, PA. -
Patient Safety Alert Supplement