Hospital Peer Review – November 1, 2004
November 1, 2004
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CMS and JCAHO quality measures now are the same: Will that save you time?
Are you tired of dealing with multiple data definitions and similar but differing performance measures? Youve probably wished many times that the quality measures from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) were identical. -
Try creative strategies for do-not-use abbreviations
According to recent data from the Joint Com-mission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, compliance with the National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) is more than 94%, with one notable exception: the requirement to standardize abbreviations, which falls to 85% compliance. -
Don’t overlook COPs during mock surveys
In light of a recent Government Accounting Office report that found that the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations failed to detect deficiencies in the Medicare Conditions of Participation (COPs) during surveys, quality managers need to take extra care to ensure their organizations are compliant with, says Patrice L. Spath, BA, RHIT, a health care quality specialist with Brown-Spath & Associates in Forest Grove, OR. -
Accreditation Field Report: Survey finds problems with nonurgent medications
A recent four-day Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) survey at United Regional Health Care System in Wichita Falls, TX, was very patient-focused, with direct caregivers much more involved, reports Darlene Adams, RN, MSN, the organizations patient care safety/quality management officer. -
PPR tool soon will be available continuously
When the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations introduced its periodic performance review (PPR) tool in November 2003, there was a single important criticism from the organizations that completed it: They wanted the tool to be available to them all the time, not just once every three years. -
The Quality-Cost Connection: Incident evaluations aid voluntary reporting
A high priority has been placed on improving incident reporting as the first step in reducing unintended patient injuries. The incident reporting system in many health care organizations is evolving into one that focuses on near misses, provides incentives for voluntary reporting, ensures confidentiality (not necessarily anonymity), and emphasizes data collection, analysis, and improvement. -
2004 Salary Survey Results: Quality role is evolving from number cruncher to leader
The quality professionals role continues to evolve, with many professionals stepping into leadership and business roles, according to the latest Hospital Peer Review salary survey. -
2004 Salary Survey Results: Work environment may hasten nurse retirement
Work stress and dissatisfaction with the work environment may hasten the retirement of aging nurses, according to a study by the Center for American Nurses, an Austin, TX-based affiliate of the American Nurses Association.