HealthCare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement articles from February 2008

HealthCare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement archives from February 2008

Hospital associations put nix on billing for 'never events': observers say a dozen or more states considering similar policies.
February 1, 2008... Within months of each other, the states of Minnesota and Massachusetts established policies whereby facilities in those states will no longer bill for some or all of a list of 27 adverse events identified by the National Quality Forum as "never...

Risk manager: new policy just recognizes reality.
February 1, 2008... For Cathy Sampson, CPHRM, manager of risk management for North Memorial Healthcare in Robbinsdale, MN, the new state policy concerning non-billing for never events is no big deal. In fact, her hospital has been practicing such a policy for...

Joint Commission still sees room for improvement: latest survey shows how, where hospitals fall short.
February 1, 2008... While U.S. hospitals continue to demonstrate overall improvement in quality and safety, they still have a long way to go in several key areas, according to Improving America's Hospitals: The Joint Commission's Annual Report on Quality and...

AAN: Technology may to be blame for nursing shortage: study leaders seek more efficient use of nurses" time.
February 1, 2008... Nobody questions the seriousness of the nursing shortage, but so far no one has come up with a satisfactory solution. The American Academy of Nursing believes it is on the right track with a project called "Technology Targets," funded by the...

UPMC to develop organ donation program for ED: program to complement rapid response system.
February 1, 2008... The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Presbyterian is laying the foundation for a program designed to facilitate organ donations in its emergency department. Not only does this represent an innovative approach to the organ donation...

Two health care systems bring home Baldrige award: QI programs at Sharp initiated by "sponsors'.(Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award to Sharp HealthCare and Mercy Health System)
February 1, 2008... Not too many years ago, the health care industry was applauding the first hospital recipient of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. This year not one, but two, health care organizations were recently announced as Baldrige...

New device developed to prevent wrong-site surgery.
February 1, 2008... Richard Chole, MD, PhD, has developed a new system called CheckSite, designed to prevent wrong-site surgeries by reminding surgeons to take a time-out before the procedure. The system includes wristbands with microchips embedded in them,...

CA Assembly passes health reform bill.
February 1, 2008... The California Assembly passed a newly amended ABX1 1, which Gov. Schwarzenegger was expected to sign as of press time. The latest version of the bill, ABX1 1, as passed by the Assembly on Dec. 17, requires employers to either "pay or play" for...

Telemedicine diabetes project expanded.
February 1, 2008... A project designed to prevent diabetes-related blindness has proved so successful in California's Central Valley that it is being expanded across the state, with a goal of serving 100 clinics and 100,000 patients, according to the California...