Healthcare is all abuzz about evidence-based medicine (EBM), and legions of clinicians are struggling with how to incorporate EBM into the new paradigm of providing the safest possible high-quality healthcare in the most efficient manner.
Fifteen years ago, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published a landmark report “To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System.” The IOM shocked the world revealing that up to 98,000 humans may die each year as a result of medical errors. That actually came as no surprise to those of us dedicated to patient safety and medical error reduction for the last two decades.As a healthcare provider, one need only pay attention to see that the frequency of errors is obvious. As a healthcare worker with a family member in the hospital, a tally sheet is required if you want to know the real frequency of medical error. Count them up.
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World Stroke Day, established by the World Stroke Organization in 2006, is observed worldwide on October 29 to underscore the serious nature and high rates of stroke, raise awareness of the prevention and treatment of the condition, and ensure better care and support for survivors.
Stroke has emerged as one of the most significant quality, risk and safety issues of the 21st century.
Consider some of the numbers:
Clinicians play an integral role in leading the adoption of CMS regulatory changes.
What follows is a summary of program updates for FY2017 that will impact healthcare reimbursement.
Value-Based Purchasing Program:
The Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program for FY2017 (with performance period of 2015) will focus on several domains:
Are you prepared for surges in your ED patient volumes?
As we head into the peak of flu season, many facilities are already feeling the effects of increased volumes, such as:
- Longer waiting times
- Staff exposed to more airborne illnesses resulting in increased sick time
- A shift in perceptions of care resulting in lower patient satisfaction scores
Imagine this:
Dr. Mary Smith, the Chair of the Obstetrics and Gynecology department at County Hospital, was en route to a meeting with Dr. John Bart, Chief Medical Officer. The purpose of the meeting was to review patient complaints originating out of her service. While waiting for the elevator, Dr. Smith was hurriedly approached by an obviously distressed Susan Jones, the Labor & Delivery head nurse.
