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How would you like to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia at your organizations intensive care unit (ICU) by 19%, and decrease bloodstream infections by 36%, in only eight months? Those are the impressive results achieved by hospitals participating in the Maryland Patient Safety Centers ICU Safety Culture Collaborative.
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According to a new study, a growing number of consumers are using online hospital performance web sites to make health care decisions. In addition, providers are using publicly reported measures to make quality improvement decisions.
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Your organization probably has a very small number of serious adverse outcomes, but in all likelihood, near-misses are very common, says Richard J. Croteau, MD, JCAHOs executive director of patient safety initiatives. We encourage organizations to include a broad range of events in their reporting systems broader than what we require, he says.
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A program designed to prevent emergency department (ED) visits and readmissions for chronically ill older adults sends nurse case managers from Valley Health in Winchester, VA, into Virginias northern Shenandoah Valley to assist clients with special health needs.
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Are you collecting data on surgical infection prevention (SIP)? If so, there is a new resource to find out how your organization compares with others.
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By modifying its automated case management system to identify patients with barriers to discharge, enabling the clinical staff to set priorities, Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore was able to decrease the percentage of denied days by more than 50% in just six months.
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In much the way 401k investment plans forever changed retirement benefits and led to the realignment of the financial industry in the 1980s, a concept called consumer-directed health care (CDH) appears poised to transform the way health care is delivered.
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A proposal by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to include nearly half of the existing diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) covered by the post-acute care transfer rule will cut Medicare payments to hospitals by $880 million a year, or approximately 1.1% of Medicare payments, according to the Chicago-based American Hospital Association (AHA).
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Readmission rates, average length of stay (LOS), and cost per case for children with low-acuity asthma improved after a clinical redesign initiative at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Childrens Hospital (UMMCH) in Ann Arbor.
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With the help of case managers, the average length of stay has significantly decreased without adversely impacting quality or outcomes. In todays economic atmosphere, you must be able to positively impact the length of stay as well as maintain our high standard for quality of care, says Pat Eason, RN, BSN, administrative director for case management services at HUMC.
