Hospital Peer Review
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TJC: Quality Improvement Should Include Data Analysis on Equitable Care
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the substantial disparities in healthcare that have existed in the United States for many years. The Joint Commission recently issued tips for identifying healthcare disparities and addressing them.
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TJC Offers Guidance on Accreditation and Effects from COVID-19
COVID-19 has affected hospitals and health systems in many ways, extending to the accreditation requirements and processes of The Joint Commission (TJC). Responding to many questions and concerns from accredited facilities, TJC recently offered answers in a webinar. The topics were wide-ranging, from the waiver of certain requirements to telehealth and documentation.
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Watch for Quality Improvement Opportunities in Your Own Department
An important way to make sure one is operating at peak performance is to see that each project is as efficient as possible. Clinician buy-in often is key to success. Make sure everyone involved with quality improvement, including other departments, knows about the goals.
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Diagnostic Errors Continue, Technology Part of Solution
Diagnostic errors continue to plague the healthcare system, but some progress is happening thanks to technology that can reduce the chance of an error reaching the patient and causing harm. Optimal results may require a more deliberate training program for those using the technology.
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Insulin Pen Project Improves Patient Safety with EMR Modification
Staff at a Maryland hospital discovered a patient safety issue with insulin pens that was traced to the electronic medical record’s (EMR) inability to generate patient-specific labels efficiently. A root cause analysis revealed the process gaps, and staff developed a solution that ensures patients receive insulin doses only from their own pens.
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Be Serious About Promoting Successes
Quality improvement professionals put a great deal of work in improving quality of care and patient safety, with projects both grand in scale and small but significant. But once an organization achieves success, how do leaders make sure the right people know about it?
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Layers of Legal Protections for Peer Review Committees
A hospital’s executive and officers liability insurance usually will apply to peer review committee members. There also are protections under federal law providing immunity for participation, particularly the Healthcare Quality Improvement Act. There are state-level statutes to provide immunity, although those laws vary widely.
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Best Practices for Recruiting Peer Review Committee Members
Well-run peer review committees are essential to maintaining high-quality performance for physicians and nurses, but recruiting for those committees can be challenging. Physicians and nurses may resist the time commitment or fear legal and professional repercussions from passing judgment on their peers. Those fears can be dispelled by educating physicians and nurses about the peer review process. Savvy recruiting techniques can help create effective peer review committees.
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HHS Says Not All Guidance Enforceable
The new rule clarifies that some guidance from the agency is just that — only guidance, not a binding requirement.
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Hospital Cuts COPD Readmission Rates with Bundle Checklist
A Maryland hospital’s COPD readmission average rate was 16.09%. Rates higher than 10.8% resulted in a penalty. Leaders set a target goal of 10.7%, and a stretch goal of 10.2%. The hospital surpassed both goals within a year. Read on to learn how they pulled it off.