Hospital Peer Review articles from June 2003

Hospital Peer Review archives from June 2003

Unannounced JCAHO surveys mean more planning, not less: change may lead some to abandon JCAHO, expert says.(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations )
June 1, 2003... The upcoming switch to unannounced surveys by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations will require a dramatic change in how you prepare for the visit, experts say, with even more attention to the tried-and-true methods...

Planning more important for unannounced surveys: plan activities throughout calendar year.
June 1, 2003... Careful yearly planning always has been the key to effective survey preparation, and much of what you should do is independent of how soon you will be surveyed. The move to unannounced surveys will make it even more important to plan compliance...

NC hospital issues quality report cards: quality reports cover variety of conditions.(Rowan Regional Medical Center, North Carolina)
June 1, 2003... In a move that may become more common in the near future, a hospital in Salisbury, NC, is issuing its own quality report cards to show its community how well it fares in meeting national standards for patient care. The quality improvement...

'Making it personal' improves patient care: personal histories increase patient satisfaction. (Patient Satisfaction Planner[TM]).
June 1, 2003... Sheila Brune, RN, BS, CPHQ, CPUR, says the quality of direct patient care is the most important predictor of patient satisfaction. In the past few years, Brune, CMC director of Utilization Management/Living History Program at Great River...

Closed-circuit TV wins fans in children's hospital: all can participate via interactive programming. (Patient Satisfaction Planner[TM]).
June 1, 2003... An innovative closed-circuit TV (CCTV) network at a children's hospital in Atlanta has made a significant contribution to patient and family satisfaction while boosting the morale and self-esteem of bedridden children. "Children's TV" is...

Study shows QI helps heart attack patients: reminders, checklists helped improve care.(quality improvement)
June 1, 2003... Combined results from three studies conducted in 33 Michigan hospitals show it's possible to improve the care provided to heart attack patients after admission by reminding physicians, nurses, and patients about proven therapies. By...

'Brewing cataclysm' in emergency response? JCAHO warns of underfunding, unpreparedness.(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations )
June 1, 2003... Responding to the potential for new terrorist attacks in the United States, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has issued a report warning of a "brewing cataclysm" of underfunding, inexperience, and...

Reduce infections with root-cause analysis: responding to infection-related sentinel events. (The Quality--Cost Connection).
June 1, 2003... Infection control practitioners play a vital role in reducing nosocomial infections. Collecting and analyzing surveillance data can identify patterns of occurrence so that steps can be taken to eliminate or reduce the factors that contribute to...

CE questions.
June 1, 2003... This concludes this CE semester. Return the enclosed survey in the envelope provided. 21. An annual 5% sample of health care organizations will undergo random, one-day unannounced Joint Commission surveys through the end of what year? ...