Healthcare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement Archives – August 1, 2010
August 1, 2010
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Benchmarking study shines light on surgical malpractice causes
A benchmarking report on some of the major causes of surgical malpractice cases has provided information that hospital quality managers and risk managers can use to improve performance and reduce adverse events. -
Program aims to combat 'compassion fatigue'
The Woman's Hospital of Texas, based in Houston, is offering caregivers in several units a "compassion fatigue" program, designed to target a little-known stress disorder that its proponents say prevents providers from giving their patients optimal care. -
Medicare project focuses on readmissions
Since DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, AL, and the Alabama Quality Assurance Foundation began collaborating on a Medicare demonstration project to determine the most effective ways to reduce readmissions for Medicare patients, the hospital has increased its referrals to home care, nursing homes, community resources, and medication assistance programs. -
MI system leads in effort to improve transitions
Hospitals will be hearing a great deal more about care transitions and reducing readmissions in coming years. Discharge planners and hospitalist leaders will be searching for models that are affordable, effective, and sustainable. -
What to include in informed consent
When performing informed consent, there are several critical elements for hospitals, including a list of the procedures that your facility has compiled that require informed consent, says Sue Dill Calloway, RN, Esq., BSN, MSN, JD, a nurse attorney and medical legal consultant in Columbus, OH. Calloway recently presented an audio conference on "Informed Consent 2010: The Latest in CMS and Joint Commission Consent Requirements" for AHC Media. -
News Briefs
The number of bariatric surgeries in the United States skyrocketed from 13,386 in 1998 to 220,000 in 2008. But a new study released by Golden, CO-based HealthGrades finds that the nation's hospitals have wide variances in both complication rates and lengths of stay, which largely correlate with the number of times the hospital performs bariatric procedures.