Healthcare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement Archives – September 1, 2003

September 1, 2003

• QI professionals take harder look at alternatives to JCAHO accreditation

  It may be that at one time the desire to seek accreditation from the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations was a given among hospital quality professionals, but a growing number of them no longer consider the decision a no-brainer. This is not to say that quality managers are rejecting the Joint Commission in large numbers, but some are thinking longer and harder before taking the plunge.

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• JCAHO to revise performance areas for random surveys

  The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations plans in 2004 to revise the performance areas evaluated during random unannounced surveys. Beginning in 2004, the reporting of standards compliance will be organized by critical focus area processes, systems, or structures in a health care organization that significantly affect the quality and safety of care.

  Read more about JCAHO to revise performance areas for random surveys - Healthcare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement Archives – September 1, 2003

• New model developed for outbreak readiness

  A downloadable software program has just been made available to help hospitals and health systems plan antibiotic dispensing and vaccination campaigns to respond to bioterrorism or large-scale natural disease outbreaks.

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• PI fairs — a fun way to share results

  Looking for a fun way to share your accomplishments with the rest of the staff, and teach them a little bit about quality to boot? Why not try a performance improvement fair?

  Read more about PI fairs — a fun way to share results - Healthcare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement Archives – September 1, 2003

• New HEDIS areas include population health, service

  The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), which accredits managed care plans, has released 10 new measures for health plans to use in evaluating and improving the quality of their clinical care and customer service.

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• Report cites keys to success and several positive signs

  The newly released report, Computerized Physician Order Entry in Community Hospitals: Lessons from the Field, jointly sponsored by the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) of Oakland and First Consulting Group of Long Beach, CA, provides insights into how 10 community hospitals successfully adopted computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems.

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• News Briefs

  Hospitals outscored eight other industries in a recent customer satisfaction survey by J.D. Power and Associates. In the survey of 2,350 randomly selected patients recently discharged from general acute-care hospitals, three out of four patients who stayed in the hospital at least one night expressed satisfaction with their hospital stay.

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• Report: CPOE adoption a long-term process

  A new report based on research co-sponsored by the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) of Oakland and First Consulting Group (FCG) of Long Beach, CA, shows that the successful adoption of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) actually is one of the later stages of a comprehensive clinical information system initiative.

  Read more about Report: CPOE adoption a long-term process - Healthcare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement Archives – September 1, 2003