Healthcare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement Archives – February 1, 2010
February 1, 2010
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Kaiser/VA/DoD partnership piloting a nationwide EHR network
It appears that the federal government's vision of a nationwide health IT network is starting to become a reality, with the launch of a pilot program by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Kaiser Permanente soon to be joined by the Department of Defense that will allow the exchange of electronic health record information between VA and Kaiser providers (and soon the DoD as well) for veterans who receive care from both entities and agree to participate. -
Nurses improve medication administration accuracy
A group of seven hospitals in the San Francisco Bay area participated in an 18-month-long program designed to improve the reliability of medication administration by deploying nurse leadership and PI skills on a single med/surg unit. The results? -
Quality manager an important team member
The hospital quality manager should play an important role in the implementation of an Integrated Nurse Leadership Program (INLP), says Julie Kliger, MPA, BSN, RN, INLP creator and program director at the Center for the Health Professions, University of California, San Francisco; principal and founder of The Altos Group; and lead author of an article in the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety detailing the successful implementation on INLP in seven Bay Area hospitals that led to significant improvements in medication administration. -
First the RACs, now wait for what's coming next
By the end of the year, it's likely that every type of medical record in your hospital will be scrutinized by one auditor or another, predicts Brian Flood, managing director for KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax, and advisory firm. -
Hospital reimbursement from all payers is at risk
If your hospital has been focusing solely on improving Medicare records in preparation for the permanent Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program, you may find yourself in a bind as other payers roll out their own audit programs. -
Follow-up calls help avoid readmissions
In an effort to improve transitions of care, the nurse care coordinators at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston make follow-up calls to patients who have been discharged, identify problems and solve them, and answer questions the patients may have about medication, symptoms, or their discharge plan. -
Studies show decrease in senior care continuity
If the discharge planning community's ideal is to begin the discharge process at the door, when patients are admitted to the hospital, then community provider input is necessary for a smooth care transition.