Healthcare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement Archives – September 1, 2011
September 1, 2011
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Chassin, Loeb cite high reliability as 'next stop' of QI journey
To paraphrase an old TV ad, "When The Joint Commission speaks, people listen." So when Mark R. Chassin, MD, FACP, MPP, MPH, president, and Jerod M. Loeb, PhD, executive vice president, Health Care Quality Evaluation, co-authored a recent article in Health Affairs entitled, "The Ongoing Quality Improvement Journey: Next Stop, High Reliability," you can bet healthcare quality professionals stood up and took notice. -
Teamwork key part of heart failure initiative
The Center for Heart & Vascular Health of Christiana Care Health System, a large healthcare organization based in Wilmington, DE, has received a Get With The GuidelinesHeart Failure Gold Quality Achievement Award from The American Heart Association, signifying that it has reached the goal of treating heart failure patients with 85% compliance for at least 24 months to core standard levels of care. -
Palliative care hardwired into hospital system
Palliative care isn't just for hospice patients it is also used to manage the symptoms of those with chronic or advanced illnesses. One hospital system in Michigan has brought palliative care into all aspects of hospital care for all patients. -
PA hospitals cut label errors by 37%
A project designed to analyze labeling errors and devise solutions resulted in a 37% decrease in errors across nine hospitals in Pennsylvania. -
Leapfrog Group to honor role of nurses
In its annual survey, The Leapfrog Group will now honor nurses who demonstrate excellence in the area of patient safety. -
EDs taking on the issue of chronic pain
It's a problem that every ED grapples with: A patient comes in complaining of chronic pain and you give him or her a one-time prescription for a powerful narcotic with instructions to seek comprehensive treatment from a primary care provider (PCP). -
Bedside barcodes reduce pharm errors
Barcoded wristbands can greatly reduce the opportunity for patient identification errors, says David Grant, RPh, MBA, vice president of pharmacy and clinical process improvement at Summit Health in Chambersburg, PA. -
Reduce ID errors with 24/7 phlebotomy
There are ways to minimize labeling errors. Top strategies include bar coding technology, firm policies and procedures, and accounting for the human factors that can prompt errors.