Hospital Peer Review – August 1, 2016
August 1, 2016
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Physician Assistants Help Drive Quality Improvement
More hospitals are finding that the strategic use of physician assistants can improve quality and patient satisfaction without adding a financial burden. These physician extenders can reduce readmissions and improve ED efficiency, recent advocates say.
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Case Study 2: LWBS Rates Drop
Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay, OR, had an ED struggling to keep up with demand for years. The ED had so many patients that its left without being seen statistics were about 8%, well over the industry average of 2%. The ED overcame this problem with the strategic use of physician assistants and nurse practitioners. -
PA Home Visits Sharply Reduce Hospital Readmissions After Heart Surgery
A recent study concluded that just two home visits by a physician assistant during the week after hospital discharge significantly reduces the chance a heart surgery patient will be readmitted. The reduced readmissions also reduce overall costs associated with the heart surgery — a $39 savings for each dollar spent on PAs.
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TJC Denies Accreditation for Deficiencies
TJC denied accreditation to Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle after a surprise review in May revealed noncompliance with 29 standards. A subsequent survey resulted in contingent accreditation.
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Copy-and-Paste Should Be Used Carefully
Anyone who uses a computer or other device routinely takes advantage of the copy-and-paste feature to save time and effort, but how appropriate is that when you’re working in an electronic medical record? It can be done safely, but only if you are aware of the potential risks and use the feature wisely, experts say.
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Assess Anesthesia Patient Satisfaction Correctly
Measuring patient satisfaction is important in all aspects of healthcare, but anesthesia can pose a particular challenge. There is a lack of standardized tools and anesthesia does not fall easily into the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems categories.
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Recommended Questions from the American Society of Anesthesiologists
The American Society of Anesthesiologists has many recommendations for questions to ask in assessing anesthesia patient satisfaction.
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CANDOR Toolkit Helps After Adverse Events
Prompt and honest communication with the patient and family members after an adverse event has become the best practice in healthcare over the past decade, and the federal government is supporting that effort with a new toolkit from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
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TJC to Survey Fire Life Safety Code
TJC announced recently that it is now including the 2012 version of the National Fire Protection Association’s 101 Life Safety Code in surveys, following the lead of CMS. The rule covers hospitals, critical access hospitals, inpatient hospices, long-term care facilities, intermediate care facilities, and ambulatory surgical centers.