Healthcare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement Archives – April 1, 2007
April 1, 2007
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When morals and medicine conflict: Morning-after pill reignites issues
The issue of whether a health care provider can refuse to provide treatments they find ethically objectionable is one that has been around for years, although recently it was again brought to the fore with the approval of the over-the-counter sale of the "morning-after" pill. -
Should quality data be collected by race, ethnicity?
At first glance, the thought of collecting and studying quality data by patient race and ethnicity might make one uncomfortable, but in fact, it's a powerful strategy for quality managers wishing to eliminate disparities in health care, asserts Bruce Siegel, MD, MPH, director, Urgent Matters National Program Office, George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, and lead author of a study by The Commonwealth Fund entitled Enhancing Public Hospitals' Reporting of Data on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Care. -
Two-minute briefing may reduce wrong-site surgeries
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore have determined that a simple two-minute briefing prior to surgery may have a significant impact on reducing wrong-site surgeries. Their work is described in a recent issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. -
Demonstration project continues gains in year two
The Premier Hospital Quality Improvement Demonstration (HQID) project, a joint effort between Premier Inc., of Charlotte, NC, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, continues to go from strength to strength. -
'Full disclosure' approach to errors may be costly
A policy of full disclosure that is, a situation in which physicians and hospitals are disclosing to patients all serious adverse events due to medical care is recognized as the most ethical approach to communicating medical errors. But as new research shows, it can have some less than desirable consequences. -
Study: EHRs valuable in identifying quality care
A study in the January/February issue of the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association1 quantifies the difference between calculating quality measures for diabetes using claims data and data extracted from an electronic health record (EHR). -
News Briefs
HealthGrades names 'Top 50' hospitals; NCQA to require quality data for accreditation; CMS offers guidance on HIPAA security rule; On-line NPI information available through WEDI