Healthcare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement Archives – January 1, 2007
January 1, 2007
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Leapfrog Group releases its first 'Top Hospitals' list
While honoring some of the nation's top-performing hospitals with the release of its first Leapfrog Top Hospitals list, the Washington, DC-based Leapfrog Group also noted that its survey uncovered a number of areas in which America's hospitals still lag behind. -
Leapfrog Group unveils policy on 'never' events
The Leapfrog Group has unveiled a new policy through which it hopes to encourage hospitals to implement strategies to avoid the 28 "never" events that have been identified by the National Quality Forum (NQF). -
SCIP tip sheet seeks to involve patients
The Oklahoma City, OK-based Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) has begun a consumer-focused phase that will include the tip sheet, "Steps to Safer Surgery," which gives patients specific questions to ask physicians and nurses before surgery to ensure the care provided will reduce the likelihood of complications. -
Study shows efficacy of bar-code usage
A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine indicates that the use of bar code technology in a hospital pharmacy can help achieve significant reductions in medication errors and potential adverse drug events (ADEs). However, the authors add, some systems are more effective than others. -
Statewide campaign slashes VAP rates
The Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) recently completed a successful pneumonia prevention program for hospital patients on ventilators, crediting it with saving an estimated 53 lives and $7 million in health care costs. -
Study indicates drop in mortality rates
The ninth annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study contained some encouraging news, but also some troubling data, according to officials of the Golden CO-based organization. -
AHRQ to request evaluation of P4Q programs
The Agency for Research and Healthcare Quality issued notice in the October 24, 2006, Federal Register that it intends request permission from the Office of Management and Budget to conduct an evaluation project on pay-for-quality programs. -
AHRQ creates DVD on chest tube insertion
The Agency for Research and Healthcare Quality (AHRQ) has a DVD available on the proper insertion of chest tubes. The 11-minute DVD uses video footage of 50 chest tube insertion procedures taken at medical centers in the Baltimore, MD, area. -
Report finds that most hospitals support P4P
Nearly all hospitals support the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in moving forward with a pay-for-performance program over the next few years, but selecting the right measures will be a critical element of future success, according to a new report by Mathematica Policy Research.