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There have been several unintended consequences projected about recent pay-for-performance changes by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), but could one of them be an unexpected boon to infection control budgets?
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In the aftermath of highly publicized cases of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) that claimed the lives of at least three school children and rattled parents nationwide, Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recently sat before concerned members of Congress, urging calm and common sense against a "preventable" infection.
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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:
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In findings that at first glance may seem puzzling, the 2007 ED Pulse Report patient satisfaction survey by Press Ganey Associates indicated that while ED wait times continue to increase, so does patient satisfaction.
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Once a patient makes the decision to seek emergency care, their "internal clock" starts, asserts Alex Rosenau, DO, FACEP vice chair, department of emergency medicine, at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network, Allentown, PA.
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To enable senior leaders to gain knowledge about quality and safety performance within the organization the quality department should create a concise, yet complete, measurement report.
