Hospital Peer Review articles from March 2004

Hospital Peer Review archives from March 2004

Your next survey will be customized; get ready for JCAHO's priority focus: data-driven survey process can work to your advantage.
March 1, 2004... If you were expecting cookie-cutter questions followed by rote responses during your next survey from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, think again. Instead, surveyors will arrive armed with detailed information...

Measures help surveyors compare hospitals: data collection guidelines use specific criteria.
March 1, 2004... It's just gotten much easier for Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations surveyors to size up how your organization compares to others. "The ORYX and core measure data are part of the Joint Commission's initiative to look...

Help pharmacists meet new medication standards: motivate staff and managers with safety data.
March 1, 2004... Two things are certain: The Joint Commission Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' newly revised medication management standards will be a key area of focus during surveys, and complying with the new requirements will call for sweeping...

Centralized schedulers are boon to efficiency: lost-call rates down by hall; service levels up 40%.(Patient Satisfaction Planner)
March 1, 2004... When it came to streamlining the way patients, referring physicians, and other interested parties contact Geisinger Health System in Danville, PA, for various access-related services, it seems that one good idea led to another. Key among a...

Nurses play strong role in patient satisfaction.(Patient Satisfaction Planner)
March 1, 2004... In outpatient surgery, a patient's pain is treated immediately after surgery, and patients are sent home. However, the pain control after discharge may be more important than the initial treatment at the bedside, says Elaine A. Yellen, RN, PhD,...

CE questions.
March 1, 2004... If you have any question about the CE program, contact customer service at (800) 688-2421. 9. Which is true regarding the priority focus process and Joint Commission surveys? A. Priority focus areas are left up to the surveyor's...

CMS publishes quality survey tool.
March 1, 2004... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has published a revised survey instrument and proposed administration instructions for the patient perceptions of care survey known as HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Plans). The...

AHA survey shows hospital use rising.
March 1, 2004... More Americans turned to hospitals for care in 2002, according to findings from the Chicago-based American Hospital Association's (AHA) latest Annual Survey of Hospitals. The survey of more than 5,700 hospitals shows admissions at...

Killer practitioners: what can you do to stop them? Implement strategies to identify harmful scenarios.
March 1, 2004... (Editor's note: This is the first in a two-part series on preventing employees from harming patients intentionally. This month, we cover how to track deaths and improve communication with human resources. Next month, we'll give step-by-step...

Are your care continuum linkages strong or weak? Tool designed to assess and improve linkages.(The Quality-Co$t Connection)
March 1, 2004... Health care delivery has grown more sophisticated and complex in response to changing patient needs and emerging technologies. Regardless of length and breadth of the patient care continuum, the goal should be to deliver seamless,...

New survey lets you focus on safety, not standards: tracer methodology well received by caregivers.(Accreditation Field Report)
March 1, 2004... After experiencing a recent pilot survey for the new Shared Visions--New Pathways Accreditation Process, staff at Wallingford, CT-based Masonic Healthcare Center gave glowing reports. "There really were no surprises encountered during this...