HealthCare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement articles from August 2003

HealthCare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement archives from August 2003

Study reveals benchmarking flaws of many report cards, quality rankings: medical centers with high transfer rates are at a disadvantage.
August 1, 2003... Hospital rankings and report cards are growing in number and importance, but a new University of Michigan study suggests these measures may be inaccurate if they don't take into account the high number of very sick patients that large hospitals...

ADA, Kaiser using modeling in DM efforts: web site will recommend customized treatments.(American Diabetes Association)
August 1, 2003... A new web site designed by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in Alexandria, VA, and Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, CA, will recommend customized treatment plans for diabetes patients. The plan uses a complex software program called...

Hotel shows health system keys to service excellence: focus on respect, attention, courtesy.
August 1, 2003... As part of a major ongoing effort to pursue service excellence, The Great Neck, NY-based North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System has entered into an agreement with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC, of Atlanta, on a program aimed...

Nurses and pharmacists partner for patient safety: collaboration, teamwork emphasized.
August 1, 2003... Seeking a shared vision for safe medication use in hospitals in the face of continuing work force shortages, leaders of five nursing and pharmaceutical organizations recently gathered in Washington, DC, to discuss how they could work together...

JCAHO OKs alternative safety goal approaches: how to learn about acceptable alternatives.(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)
August 1, 2003... The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) in Oakbrook Terrace, IL, has published examples of acceptable alternative approaches to complying with its 2003 National Patient Safety Goal recommendations. In July...

QI project cuts patients' chronic pain dramatically: facility earns Codman Award from JCAHO.(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)
August 1, 2003... A quality improvement project at a Michigan long-term care facility resulted in a decrease in the prevalence of chronic pain among its residents from 33% in March 2000 to 18% now. The reduction is even more significant given that the...