HCPro.com: Quality Improvement Report

This informative newsletter is a 12-page monthly resource that provides you with the hands-on advice, tools (including data collection forms), and best practices that you need to ensure your hospital scores high on its quality measures and receives all of the Medicare reimbursement it deserves!

To view the entire newsletter issue, click the “View Entire Issue” link below

October 2008 (Volume 3, Issue 10)	view entire issue

Diabetic patients with many comorbidities need higher levels of insulin
Hospitals that want to keep their diabetics’ glucoselevels under control need to test their patients’ bloodsugar as many as eight times per day—for those whoare severely ill—and ensure that staff members know that those coming in with infections or other comorbidities might need significantly higher units of insulin.

Antibiotic monitoring improves quality, reduces cost
In an effort to reduce pharmaceutical cost and stop the rise of bacteria resistant to antibiotics, two hospitals have begun implementing programs to better control their antibiotic use and, so far, the results are positive.

SCIP expert: OR environment can lead to infections
One of the top experts and biggest proponents of the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) says even hospitals complying with all the SCIP measures might need to take further precautions if they’re still seeing an unacceptable amount of surgical site infections.

Timeouts need to include the entire surgical team
Hospitals that want to comply with The Joint Commission’s new Universal Protocol™ expectations beginning January 2009 should ensure that their surgeons mark the surgical site and the entire surgical team commits fully to the timeout.

Q&A with Peter Angood on Universal Protocol
Q. Can you talk about the process that went into revising the Universal Protocol to become more prescriptive?

Other recently-published articles from Quality Improvement Report:

Facilities making progress on infection control?related Patient Safety Goal

Be prepared for early warning system goal

Pandemic influenza risk remains high for hospitals

Gaining stakeholder support for SBAR technique

National Patient Safety Goals: The PI connection

WalkRounds involve senior leaders with frontline staff

Use FMEA to examine the causes of heparin overdoses

Three keys to readying your anticoagulant program

Diabetic patients with many comorbidities need higher levels of insulin

Antibiotic monitoring improves quality, reduces cost

SCIP expert: OR environment can lead to infections

Timeouts need to include the entire surgical team

Q&A with Peter Angood on Universal Protocol

Assess all patients to prevent pressure ulcers

Hourly rounding, huddles help prevent patient falls

ABOUT HCPRO

PRESS

CAREERS @ HCPRO

ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES

ONLINE STORE

200 HOODS LANE

P.O. BOX 1168

MARBLEHEAD, MA 01945, USA

PHONE: 800/650-6787

FAX: 781/639-7857

Copyright Statement	Privacy Policy

*MAGNET™, MAGNET RECOGNITION PROGRAM®, and ANCC MAGNET RECOGNITION® are trademarks of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The products and services of HCPro, Inc. and The Greeley Company are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the ANCC