Quality Improvement

HHS Reports "Little Progress" in HAI Reduction

The Health and Human Services (HHS) Department and its Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) today issued its 2009 National Healthcare Quality Report, and among the findings, it noted that "very little progress" has been made on eliminating healthcare-acquired ...More
April 15, 2010
Posted in News
HAI Elimination is a Continuous Improvement Process

“Toward elimination of healthcare-associated infections” – the theme around which the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and its partners have built the Fifth Decennial International Conference on Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) ...More
February 24, 2010
Posted in Articles
Quality in Healthcare... We Have All Heard It

As costs increase and reimbursements decrease there are ways to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and improve the quality of care to meet regulatory requirements. The landmark report from the Institute of Medicine, “To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health ...More
February 22, 2010
Posted in Articles
Clinicians Share VAP Prevention Strategies

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) accounts for as much as 15 percent of all hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and approximately 27 percent of all infections acquired in the intensive care unit (ICU). The primary risk factor for the development of hospital-associated ...More
January 21, 2010
Posted in Articles
Joint Commission Annual Report Shows Gains in Patient-Care Quality

Accredited hospitals in America have steadily improved the quality of patient care over a seven-year period, saving lives and improving the health of thousands of patients, according to the Joint Commission’s latest annual report. The report, “Improving ...More
January 14, 2010
Posted in News
Improved Patient Safety and Reduced Infection Rates: An Imperative in 2010

2010 may be known as the year of renewed patient safety efforts, at least if Peter Pronovost, MD, PhD, FCCM, professor at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine, has anything to say about it. He is part of the Quality and Safety Research Group at Johns Hopkins, a ...More
December 18, 2009
Posted in Articles
In the Aftermath of 2008 CMS Rule, Hospitals Seek to Prevent Infections, Retain Reimbursement

It has been about 14 months since a new directive from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) went into effect Oct. 1, 2008, essentially declaring that Medicare will no longer reimburse hospitals for extra costs related to certain infections acquired during a ...More
December 18, 2009
Posted in Articles
New Joint Commission Project Tackles Handwashing Missteps

The Joint Commission recently launched the Center for Transforming Healthcare, an entity that involves teaming with hospitals and health systems nationwide to measure and practice methods that aim to stop breakdowns in patient care, such as wrong-site surgery and improper ...More
December 16, 2009
Posted in Articles, Hand Hygiene
Flu Mortality Risk Increases for Older Patients with Dementia

An epidemiological study on pneumonia and influenza in adults age 65 and over reports that patients with dementia are diagnosed with flu less frequently, have shorter hospital stays, and have a 50 percent higher rate of death than those without dementia. The three-pronged ...More
October 27, 2009
Posted in News
Designing a Getting-to-Zero Program That Works for You: A Focus on Process Improvement

Building on Our Successes to Leverage Momentum, Gain Buy-In and Foster AccountabilityThe journey to zero began in 1998 for BJC HealthCare and the BJC Infection Control and Healthcare Epidemiology Consortium. Education had a huge impact in reducing central line-associated ...More
October 15, 2009
Posted in Articles