Since the start of the 21st century, the U.S. has suffered several major disasters: hurricanes, floods, wildfires, blizzards, tornados, and terrorist attacks to name a few. In times of crisis, hospitals and healthcare centers are particularly susceptible to the chaos and failing infrastructure....
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 27, Issue 11
Logic says that electronic health records (EHR) should be a huge boon to healthcare quality. Up-to-date recordkeeping, real-time data, less paperwork, simpler transfers of information, electronic alerts: the list of benefits goes on and on.
A quality measurement that focuses on patient symptoms and overall quality of life is poised to take on a greater role in patient safety. In some parts of the country, it already has.
Patient reported outcomes (PRO)?defined by the National Quality Forum (NQF) as...
Historically, insurers and healthcare providers haven't had the most harmonious relationship. Competing business interests typically left representatives from each industry on opposite sides of the table.
In fact, Greg Maddrey, a director with The Chartis Group...
In 2012, a fungal meningitis outbreak was linked to the New England Compounding Center (NECC) in Framingham, Massachusetts, that would eventually lead to more than 750 infections in 20 states and 64 deaths, according to the CDC.
Healthcare experts say the industry may have squeezed all it can from technological advancements and standardization, giving way to a new patient safety movement that will shift the focus toward high reliability.
Although overall antibiotic usage in U.S. hospitals has remained steady, the rate of powerful, broad spectrum antibiotics has increased at a worrisome rate, according to CDC researchers.
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine reviewed antibiotic usage in...
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) sent a report on October 13 to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) urging for better alignment of healthcare quality measures. The conclusion of the 42-page document is that payers haven’t agreed on what quality measures to track, which...
On October 13, CMS announced a push to improve physician engagement and their experience within the Medicare system. To achieve this goal, the agency is trying to reduce the reduce administrative burdens that physicians have to handle with the new Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (...
