CMS has begun adopting the preventable quality indicators (PQI) rate into its incentive and penalty program as a way to measure the number of preventable hospital admissions. However, PQI rates only agree with physicians' assessments 10% of the time.
On March 1, the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Olympus Corp. with paying millions of dollars in kickbacks to hospitals and doctors to buy its products. The company, which owns 85% of the U.S. endoscope market, has agreed to pay $646 million to resolve the criminal charges and civil charges...
On February 24, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Robert Califf, MD, as the new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner. The Senate vote in Califf’s favor was 89-4, ending a yearlong debate over his suitability.
There were 1,089 patient suicides logged into the Joint Commission’s Sentinel Event Database between 2010 and 2014; overall, suicides were the 10th leading cause of death in America in 2013, resulting in 41,149 deaths.
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 26, Issue 3
In 2012, The Joint Commission's tobacco cessation performance measure set took effect, encouraging hospitals to improve their efforts to convince patients to stop smoking. Used in the accreditor's ORYX performance measurement program, the measures are part of an industrywide...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 26, Issue 3
For the last several years, there has been a startling mortality trend emerging in the United States: Each year, middle-aged white Americans are dying at a faster clip than any of their counterparts in different age groups, ethnicities, or countries.
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 26, Issue 3
A good job is its own reward, but that doesn't mean recognition isn't appreciated. Last year, 1,043 hospitals (31.5% of those analyzed) were recognized by The Joint Commission's Top Performer on Key Quality Measures® program. Inclusion on the top performers' list is a huge...
