Healthcare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement Archives – July 1, 2008
July 1, 2008
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CMS proposes a vast expansion of its quality measures program
In a dramatic effort to expand its quality program for hospital inpatient services in fiscal year 2009, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed the addition of 43 new quality measures for which hospitals will have to report data in order to receive the full annual payment update for their services. -
'Transparency community' involves patients
At St. Joseph's PeaceHealth in Bellingham, WA, a former patient has been sitting on the facility's medical executive committee for more than a year. -
Approach for treating methadone patients created
The professionals in the addiction treatment services team at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore have created an approach for treating methadone patients, called the motivated stepped care (MSC) model, which has decreased positive urine tests from 74% to 54% and increased group counseling attendance from 14% to 65%. -
What if physicians don't believe your quality data?
Have you ever presented physicians with carefully analyzed data to demonstrate areas in need of improvement and then discover that your findings are disputed? -
Surveyors finding problems with medication standards
Nearly half (43%) of hospitals surveyed in the first half of 2007 were not compliant with The Joint Commission's standard requiring medications be properly and safely stored, and 20% were non-compliant with the requirement for medication orders to be written clearly and transcribed accurately. -
Florida hospital cuts failed pediatric sedation rate 98%
During an October 2003 survey conducted at Fort Lauderdale, FL-based Broward General Medical Center by The Joint Commission, surveyors recommended improvements with the organization's pediatric sedation process. In particular, they found fault with the administration of sedation for outpatient diagnostic procedures.