HealthCare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement articles from December 2005

HealthCare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement archives from December 2005

Collaborative model shows early success in battling MRSA: early participants cut number of infections by about 85%.
December 1, 2005... A unique collaborative model in the region surrounding Pittsburgh, PA, has shown significant success battling methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, (MRSA), with early participants in the program showing infection rate reductions of 85%....

Positive deviance: an inside look: concept applied to eliminating MRSA.
December 1, 2005... A 250-bed long-term care facility and a 140-bed acute care hospital in Pittsburgh, PA, part of the Veterans Administration Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS), are applying the concept of Positive Deviance in their efforts to eliminate MRSA...

Lean production efforts help save $7.5m in 1 year: each service line has a dedicated director.
December 1, 2005... Park Nicollett Health Services (PNHS), a health care system based in St. Louis Park, MN, has demonstrated savings of $7.5 million in 2004 as the result of adopting the Toyota Production System--also known as "Lean Production." The system's...

QIO helps hospital achieve dramatic results: from sanction to JCAHO Gold Seal of Approval.(Quality Improvement Organization)(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations)
December 1, 2005... In late 2002, a hospital-based cardiac surgery center in Florida received an initial sanction notice from the Florida Medical Quality Assurance, Inc. (FMQAI), the state's QIO. Today, it is the proud recipient of JCAHO's Gold Seal of Approval...

Physician satisfaction helps gain buy-in for QI: program is among several ongoing efforts.
December 1, 2005... A physicians satisfaction team developed at All Saints Hospital in Racine, WI, has helped gain physician buy-in for the new service-oriented culture the quality department is seeking to encourage at the facility. In the process, All Saints has...

AHRMM task force takes aim at supply expense: goal is to enable consistent calculation.
December 1, 2005... The American Hospital Association's Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM), with support from the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), has developed a standard definition for supply expense that health...

JCAHO to look closely at patient handoffs: communication lapses will be key focus.(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations)
December 1, 2005... An emergency department patient is brought in for an X-ray, but the nurse forgets to tell the radiologist about the patient's allergy to contrast dye. During a change of shift, a caregiver doesn't mention that the patient is at high risk for a...