HealthCare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement articles from January 2007

HealthCare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement archives from January 2007

Leapfrog Group releases its first 'Top Hospitals' list: survey shows that significant progress still needs to be made.(Survey)
January 1, 2007... Key Points * Most hospitals excel in wrong-site surgery strategies and pharmacist review of medication. * CPOE implementation continues to lag; experts blame lack of interoperability, high costs. * Telemedicine is recommended as a...

Leapfrog Group unveils policy on 'never' events.
January 1, 2007... The Leapfrog Group has unveiled a new policy through which it hopes to encourage hospitals to implement strategies to avoid the 28 "never" events that have been identified by the National Quality Forum (NQF). The NQF, which recently updated its...

SCIP tip sheet seeks to involve patients: initiative begins consumer-focused phase.(Surgical Care Improvement Project)
January 1, 2007... Key Points * SCIP's main goal is to reduce by 25% the incidence of the most common preventable surgical complications. * Making the patient a partner in his or her care adds another means of ensuring proper procedures are being...

Study shows efficacy of bar-code usage: bar-coding can reduce errors, study says.
January 1, 2007... Key Points * Incidence of dispensing errors, potential ADEs reduced between 80% and 90%. * For greatest efficacy, system must be able to scan every single dose at least once. * Individual hospital pharmacies may dispense millions...

Statewide campaign slashes VAP rates: follow-up provides strong support for facilities.
January 1, 2007... Key Points * VAP initiative reduces pneumonia cases by 175, or 57% over 15 months, according to hospital association. * Proper hand hygiene, IHI ventilator bundles, good oral care are keys to successful reduction of VAP incidents. ...

Study indicates drop in mortality rates: but gap between best, worst hospitals has grown.
January 1, 2007... Key Points * Nation's in-hospital risk-adjusted mortality rate improved, on average, 8% from 2003 to 2005. * "Quality chasm" between the best and poorest-performing hospitals has grown by approximately 5%. * If all hospitals...

AHRQ to request evaluation of P4Q programs.
January 1, 2007... The Agency for Research and Healthcare Quality issued notice in the October 24, 2006, Federal Register that it intends request permission from the Office of Management and Budget to conduct an evaluation project on pay-for-quality programs. ...

AHRQ creates DVD on chest tube insertion.
January 1, 2007... The Agency for Research and Healthcare Quality (AHRQ) has a DVD available on the proper insertion of chest tubes. The 11-minute DVD uses video footage of 50 chest tube insertion procedures taken at medical centers in the Baltimore, MD, area....

Report finds that most hospitals support P4P.
January 1, 2007... Nearly all hospitals support the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in moving forward with a pay-for-performance program over the next few years, but selecting the right measures will be a critical element of future success,...

Collaborative model works in Knoxville RRT initiative: competitors cooperate to achieve patient safety goal.
January 1, 2007... Hospitals in the Knoxville, TN, area have joined forces in what they assert is a tremendously successful collaborative involving rapid response teams. The initiative, begun in 2005, is actually the second campaign of the Greater Knoxville...