Hospital Peer Review articles from October 2003

Hospital Peer Review archives from October 2003

Requirements on core performance measures are set to increase: quality managers bracing for jump in workload.
October 1, 2003... Are you ready to add another set of core measures to your to-do list? There is no doubt that the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations new requirement for gathering data on an additional set of performance measures,...

Recent power outage puts spotlight on problem areas: fix potential problems before a disaster occurs.
October 1, 2003... When a patient in a wheelchair needs to get from an upper floor to street level after dialysis, the elevators are inoperable. A "bucket brigade" is the only way to get water to the upper floors of your hospital, since water pumping is no...

Tips from a recent JCAHO survey.(Accreditation Field Report)(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)
October 1, 2003... [Editor's note: If your facility recently was surveyed, please contact Staci Kusterbeck, Editor, Hospital Peer Review, 280 Nassau Road, Huntington, NY 11743. Telephone: (631) 425-9760. Fax: (631) 271-1603. E-mail: stacikusterbeck@aol.com.] ...

Independent CMs face greater HIPAA challenge: don't debate; get authorization.(Discharge planning advisor[R]--the update for improving continuity of care)(case managers must follow Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations)
October 1, 2003... Whether as employees of a covered health care entity or independent business associates, case managers must ensure that they are in compliance with the privacy requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). ...

Enhance care by making CM part of Medicare: value of case managers 'yet to be recognized'.(Case management)
October 1, 2003... Even with their dependence on health maintenance organizations (HMOs), many of the nation's elderly suffer from a lack of coordinated care, are often confused about their treatment--including proper use of medications--and frequently end up in...

How to determine 'what's a business associate?'.
October 1, 2003... Case managers sometimes are confused as to what constitutes a "business associate" as referred to in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), notes Cathy Kauffman-Nearhoof, RN, BSN, CCM, NMCC, CLNC, owner of Integrist...

New quality trend puts spotlight on success: using appreciative inquiry to boost performance.
October 1, 2003... When you do a root-cause analysis or educate staff about improving patient safety, do you sometimes feel your message is all "doom and gloom?" If so, take note of a growing trend, which spotlights events that went well, as opposed to what went...

Will new survey process threaten confidentiality?
October 1, 2003... In addition to preparing staff for unannounced surveys and ensuring continuous preparedness, you also may have looming concerns about legal disclosure related to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' new...

Are nursing home residents safe?(The Quality-Co$t Connection)
October 1, 2003... Health care quality managers often oversee patient safety activities in a variety of health care settings. One area of considerable media attention right now is the quality of nursing home care. Because many integrated health care delivery...

CE questions.(continuing medical education)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... 13. Which is recommended to comply with the new core measure requirements from JCAHO? A. Avoid sharing core measure data between hospital departments. B. Use technology to capture clinical data at point of care. C. Select different...

Audio conference clarifies final EMTALA regulations.(Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act )
October 1, 2003... The final version of the recently proposed changes to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) takes effect Nov. 10. To provide you with critical information on the updated regulations from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...

Hospital safety initiative targets behavioral health unit: falls committee takes careful look at geropsych issues.
October 1, 2003... The behavioral health department may not be the first place you would look to launch a patient safety initiative, but the team at Overlook Hospital in Summit, NJ, is expecting just such an undertaking to yield big dividends. Two years ago,...

Study shows safety risks for children, value of tool: algorithms target processes with patient safety.
October 1, 2003... A new study of 3.8 million discharge records for children indicates that these younger patients experienced substantial numbers of potentially preventable patient safety problems during hospital stays in 1997. This is the first...

HHS, hospital associations team up for patient safety.(Department of Health and Human Services )
October 1, 2003... The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in partnership with the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the American Medical Association (AMA), has announced a campaign to help distribute valuable information about improving...