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A recent federal appeals court decision clarifies how far an investigation into "disruptive behavior" goes under the Health Care Quality Improvement Act.
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Transitions of care have been a bugaboo of medicine for years. And the problem isn’t getting easier. With accountable care organizations and the increased emphasis on various spokes of the healthcare wheel being able to talk clearly across the radius to each other, it has become more and more important to find simple, proven ways to ensure that handing a patient from one part of the system to the other happens quickly, yet with all the pertinent information.
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Outcome measurement at University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle typically is tied in some way with quality improvement office initiatives. Therefore, to improve patient education, staff recently looked at the quarterly patient satisfaction reports the medical center receives from a vendor.
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How does a hospital get a No. 1 ranking and score in the 99th percentile on the South Bend, IN-based Press Ganey Associates patient satisfaction survey? It might have something to do with taking a good situation and continually trying to improve it.
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Bedside registration in the emergency department (ED) and a new transfer center are the latest innovations helping to define the department of patient access and business operations at Philadelphias Presbyterian Medical Center.
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The Joint Commission's new Leadership standards aren't effective until Jan. 1, 2009, but quality professionals will need to start preparing now to address new requirements for conflict management and disruptive behavior, skills required of leaders, communication among leaders, and creation of a culture of safety.
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When it comes to non-compliance by physicians for core measure requirements, quality professionals often feel powerless they have plenty of data but not enough clout.
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The length of stay for patients being discharged to skilled nursing facilities from St. Joseph's Hospital progressive ventilator care unit dropped by 7.5 days (a 47% reduction) following a Six Sigma pilot project that focused on better ambulation of patients, earlier screening for potential skilled nursing admissions, and timely discharge.
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Electronic health records (EHRs) made little or no difference on 14 of 17 quality measures examined, and quality was worse for one measure, a recent study found.
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Some aspects of core measure compliance call for a "handshake" between quality professionals and physicians, says Christopher Sharp, MD, clinical assistant professor at Stanford (CA) University Medical Center. Here are the best ways to collaborate:
