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Patient Safety Monitor Alert

This e-mail newsletter provides healthcare professionals with the latest patient safety news, while offering useful information on creating safer patient care environments and reducing medical errors.

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Patient Safety Monitor Alert

Issue 12, November 16, 2011

• Take our infection control survey, enter to win $100!

  To ensure that HCPro meets your infection control compliance and training products and services...

Issue 52, December 28, 2011

• Study finds teamwork and communication lead to decrease in surgery complications

  Veteran Health Administration (VHA) facilities that implemented a medical team training program saw...

• It always boils down to communication

  A recent incident in which three people, including one child, was infected with hepatitis C through...

• 2012 National Patient Safety Goals "easy-to-read" version released

  The Joint Commission has released an easy-to-read version of its National Patient Safety Goals...

• Assessing the Risk: Suicidal Behavior in the Hospital Environment of Care

  Suicide of a care recipient while in a staffed, round-the-clock care setting or within 72 hours of...

Issue 51, December 21, 2011

• HHS awards $218M to create hospital engagement networks

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• Joint Commission suggests "strategic caffeine consumption" as part of Alert

  The Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Event Alert on healthcare worker fatigue and its effect on...

• Better doctors focus on mistakes

  A recent study reported in The Atlantic found that physicians who focused on their mistakes, rather...

• CMS Hospital Conditions of Participation and Interpretive Guidelines

  Navigating the CMS Web site to find accurate Medicare and Medicaid hospital regulations is a...

Issue 50, December 14, 2011

• IHI: Hospitals, patients rethink care; Berwick blasts rhetoric

  This year's Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) forum, which ended Wednesday in Orlando...

• Blog spotlight: Texting while rounding :(

  Everyone knows that texting while driving is dangerous—and illegal in many states. It’s...

• Despite increase in preventative practices, catheter-associated urinary tract infection prevention still low

  A study published in the December 2011 issue of Journal of General Internal Medicine reveals that...

• Editor's pick: Occurrence Reporting

  This new resource by performance improvement expert Kenneth R. Rohde provides practical techniques...

Issue 49, December 7, 2011

• Blog spotlight: Joint Commission proposes new goal to prevent harm and waste

  Last week, The Joint Commission announced it was proposing a new National Patient Safety Goal. The...

• IHI kicks off with keynote

  Maureen Bisognano, president and CEO for the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI), kicked off...

• CMS releases quality information to consumer groups

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), under the Affordable Care Act, announced...

• Editor’s Pick: Quality Improvement for Nurse Managers

  This book and CD-ROM clearly outline a nurse leader's role in quality improvement and offer simple...

Issue 48, November 30, 2011

• Paper new culprit in germ transmission

  Researchers in Germany found that bacteria survived on paper for at least 72 hours and could...

• Blog spotlight: CoP revisions include patient administration of meds

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently announced it would be revising some...

• Family of patient settles with MGH over alarm sentinel event

  The family of a patient who died after nurses failed to respond to alarms on his cardiac monitor...

• Editor’s pick: Data Management and Process Improvement Bundle by Ken Rohde

  Purchase all Ken Rhode titles and save! Pay only $299 for a package that retails individually for...

Issue 47, November 23, 2011

• Take our infection control survey, enter to win $100!

  To ensure that HCPro meets your infection control compliance and training products and services...

• Take advantage of Patient Safety Monitor’s Talk Group

  Members and nonmembers alike can take advantage of Patient Safety Talk, one feature of Patient...

• Blog spotlight: Technology, devices and equipment: More than just a purchase

  One topic keeps popping up in the patient safety world, and in my humble opinion, I think...

• Kaiser sues nurses’ union over strike

  Kaiser Permanente's Northern California hospital unit and medical group filed a lawsuit against the...

Issue 46, November 16, 2011

• New tool: Sample Quality Management Plan

  Members of Patient Safety Monitor have access to the tools library, an archive of a number of...

• Blog spotlight: Diagnostic tests testing patient safety?

  Diagnostic tests. They help us understand what's wrong, and generally, they are safe. But lately...

• Poverty, community problems at heart of readmissions, researchers say

  A new study found that by Memphis-based Qsource showed that the patients with the most repeat...

• Editor’s pick: Assessing the Risk: Suicidal Behavior in the Hospital Environment of Care

  Suicide of a care recipient while in a staffed, round-the-clock care setting or within 72 hours of...

Issue 45, November 9, 2011

• Latest issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal now available

  The December issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal (formerly Briefings on Patient Safety) has...

• Blog spotlight: Apologies and action for famous actors only?

  Hospital chief Sandra Coletta is making waves throughout the healthcare community after be frank...

• AHRQ awards $34 million to expand fight against HAIs

  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality...

• Editor’s pick: Enhance Patient Experience and Satisfaction Through Relationship-Based Care

  This 90-minute audio conference provides solutions for nurse managers to increase patient...

Issue 44, November 2, 2011

• Stroke patients at lower risk with coordinated care across the continuum

  A new study in the November issue of the European Journal of Neurology has found that care of...

• Blog spotlight: Sentinel events for first half of 2011 available

  The November issue of The Joint Commission’s Perspectives gives us an idea of the sentinel...

• Family of girl whose limbs were amputated after long ED wait reach settlement

  One of the largest settlements of its kind in California was reached October 28. Methodist Hospital...

• Editor’s pick: CMS Conditions of Participation Changes audio conference

  This 90-minute program with speaker Sue Dill Calloway, RN, MSN, JD, covers the latest CMS hospital...

Issue 43, October 26, 2011

• Take advantage of Patient Safety Monitor?s Talk Group

  Members and nonmembers alike can take advantage of Patient Safety Talk, one feature of Patient...

• Blog spotlight: Is it time to consolidate reporting efforts?

  Interesting turn of events this week. The Cleveland Clinic, Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and...

• Public Citizen calls for investigation into patient deaths

  Public Citizen, a nonprofit organization that helps advocate for individual rights, is calling for...

• Editor’s pick: Making Your Data Work

  The Joint Commission, state agencies, and others are demanding solid data proving increased patient...

Issue 42, October 19, 2011

• New tool: Patient education coordinator job description

  Members of Patient Safety Monitor have access to the tools library, an archive of a number of...

• Blog spotlight: A call for Innovation Advisors

  Yesterday, CMS announced that it was accepting applications for a new Innovation Advisors program...

• Editor’s pick: Root Cause Analysis Basics book

  By answering these basic questions, an effective root cause analysis (RCA) can boost patient...

Issue 41, October 12, 2011

• Latest issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal now available

  The November issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal (formerly Briefings on Patient Safety) has...

• Blog spotlight: Who’s the boss?

  Last month, I had the personal experience of feeling the frustration that happens when a care plan...

• Hospital agrees to $250,000 settlement in medication error case

  Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, CA, settled a lawsuit after a 68-year-old patient...

• IHI releases new edition of Managing Serious Events report

  The Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI) has released a second edition of its Respectful...

• Editor’s pick: Professional Growth in Staff Development

  Designed to progress staff development professionals along the learning continuum from novice to...

Issue 40, October 5, 2011

• ED physicians sue WA state

  Emergency physicians in the state of Washington have filed a lawsuit against a state plan to...

• Blog spotlight: What might patient safety have to do with the joy and spirit of caregiving?

  With the advent of electronic health record implementation, never-ending administrative duties, and...

• Surgeons urge Twitter use

  Two surgeons at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences are urging...

• Editor’s pick: Briefings on The Joint Commission

  Briefings on The Joint Commission is a monthly publication that provides you with regulatory...

Issue 39, September 28, 2011

• Take advantage of Patient Safety Monitor’s Talk Group

  Members and nonmembers alike can take advantage of Patient Safety Talk, one feature of Patient...

• Blog spotlight: NAHQ raffle winners!

  Just a quick post to congratulate our NAHQ raffle winners: Emelia Lewis from Woodstock, VA...

• Medication error occurred during nurses’ strike

  A patient death at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland, CA, that has been connected with a...

• Editor’s pick: What accreditation professionals need to know about Life Safety Code

  Accreditation professionals are not expected to be experts on life safety so they rely upon others...

Issue 38, September 21, 2011

• New tool: Self-assessment questions to evaluate occurrence reporting

  Members of Patient Safety Monitor have access to the tools library, an archive of a number of...

• Blog spotlight: Were you at NAHQ?

  I spent last week at the National Association for Healthcare Quality’s 36th Annual Conference...

• New law bans anonymous complaints on physicians

  Those looking to file a complaint against physicians in Texas can no longer do so anonymously...

• Editor’s pick: Assessing the Risk: Suicidal Behavior in the Hospital Environment of Care

  Suicide of a care recipient while in a staffed, round-the-clock care setting or within 72 hours of...

Issue 37, September 14, 2011

• Latest issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal now available

  The October issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal (formerly Briefings on Patient Safety) has been...

• Rewarding near-miss reporting

  By now, most of us involved in patient safety understand the importance of reporting, collecting...

• Inexpensive infection control saves millions of lives, billions of dollars

  A new study by University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill found that adopting inexpensive...

• Editor’s pick: j-mail, 2012 Edition: Tools for Ongoing Joint Commission Survey Prep

  The tenth edition of our annual Joint Commission training tool has been improved to enable thorough...

Issue 36, September 7, 2011

• Take advantage of Patient Safety Monitor’s Talk Group

  Members and nonmembers alike can take advantage of Patient Safety Talk, one feature of Patient...

• Blog spotlight: Disruptive behavior, negligence, endangered patients, and millions of dollars

  August had been filled with a number of different patient safety rulings and findings that show...

• College of Surgeons require hospital to include navigation through cancer programs

  A patient-centered approach is at the forefront of new accreditation standards for hospital cancer...

• Editor’s pick: Root Cause Analysis Basics

  By answering these basic questions, an effective root cause analysis (RCA) can boost patient...

Issue 35, August 31, 2011

• New tool: Key indicators to evaluate the effectiveness of your PIR process

  Members of Patient Safety Monitor have access to the tools library, an archive of a number of...

• Temp ED nurses a safety threat to patients, study shows

  Temporary emergency department (ED) nurses who are unfamiliar with their surroundings may...

• Editor’s Pick: Occurrence Reporting book

  You already capture the data. Now use it to make real improvements in your patient care. This new...

Issue 34, August 24, 2011

• Latest issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal now available

  The September issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal (formerly Briefings on Patient Safety) has...

• Blog spotlight: Challenging the ’business as usual’ patient interaction

  Catherine Hinz, our monthly columnist for Patient Safety Monitor Journal, often brings new thoughts...

• Heart attack patients cared for quicker

  Almost all major heart attack patients are being treated within 90 minutes of arrival according to...

• Editor’s Pick: The Joint Commission Mock Tracer Made Simple

  This updated edition of our annual best-seller includes new tools and case studies of successful...

Issue 33, August 17, 2011

• More children hospitalized with MRSA

  The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality released a new report showing more children are...

• Blog spotlight: Doc becomes patient

  How can you make patient experience better? Well, one physician became a patient and got a better...

• Nurses demand better staffing levels, citing patient safety

  The Pennsylvania state Department of Health’s recent investigation of Carlisle (PA) Regional...

• Editor's Pick: Reduce Transition-Induced Readmissions Through Improved Transition Management

  CMS will begin collecting data that will determine if a hospital will incur financial penalties for...

Issue 32, August 10, 2011

• CMS expands Hospital Compare data

  Federal health officials have announced that they have expanded the HospitalCompare website, making...

• Blog Spotlight: Telemedicine pre-pub standards available

  The Joint Commission has published its prepublication standards for telemedicine (LD.04.03.09 and...

• HHS awards $71.3 million to strengthen nursing workforce

  The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has granted $71.3 million to expand nursing...

• Editor’s Pick: CMS Hospital Conditions of Participation and Interpretive Guidelines

  Navigating the CMS Web site to find accurate Medicare and Medicaid hospital regulations is a...

Issue 31, August 3, 2011

• American College of Surgeons announce National Surgical Quality Improvement Program

  The American College of Surgeons (ACS) announced its goal to enlist at least 1,000 hospitals into...

• Blog spotlight: A concierge for cultural hospitality

  Hospitals can be a scary place for anyone. They can be especially scary for people who don’t...

• Editor’s Pick: The Survival of Staff Development

  High-quality clinical care comes from high-quality education. Prove the value of your staff...

Issue 30, July 27, 2011

• Take advantage of Patient Safety Monitor’s Talk Group

  Members and nonmembers alike can take advantage of Patient Safety Talk, one feature of Patient...

• Blog spotlight: Surgical standardization a takeaway from AHA Leadership Summit

  HealthLeaders Media reporter Cheryl Clark attended the American Hospital Association’s...

• Walking patients have shorter lengths of stay

  Patients who take more steps out of bed have shorter lengths of stay, according to a new study in...

• Editor’s pick: Medical Interpreter Programs: Meet the Needs of Your Patient Population

  Meet the language needs of your community and comply with new Joint Commission patient-centered...

Issue 29, July 20, 2011

• New tool: Key Indicators to Evaluate Your PIR Process

  Members of Patient Safety Monitor have access to the tools library, an archive of a number of...

• Blog spotlight: Money can?'t buy you love

  It turns out the elusive patient satisfaction craved by most hospitals can’t be bought, or at...

• Editor’s Pick: The Survival of Staff Development

  High-quality clinical care comes from high-quality education. Prove the value of your staff...

Issue 28, July 13, 2011

• Latest issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal now available

  The August issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal (formerly Briefings on Patient Safety) has been...

• Blog spotlight: Can a video really help curb infections?

  Videos are fun—they have the power to get staff out of their daily routine, dancing in...

• Leape calls medical resident hours rule an ?abuse of trust?

  Editor’s note:  New rules on medical residents' hours issued by The Accreditation...

• Editor’s pick: Medical Interpreter Programs audio conference

  Meet the language needs of your community and comply with new Joint Commission patient-centered...

Issue 27, July 6, 2011

• Not enough research to substantiate assumption that July brings higher mortality rates

  Because a new class of medical school graduates begin their  residencies in July, the month...

• Blog spotlight: How does your hospital?s patient safety culture compare?

  The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released Hospital Survey on Patient...

• Oregon finds pharmacists reluctant to use reporting system

  In2008, the Oregon Patient Safety Commission implemented an adverse event reporting system that...

• Editor's pick: Accreditation Specialist Boot Camp

  The Accreditation Specialist Boot Camp, an intensive two-and-a-half-day course, will provide survey...

Issue 26, June 29, 2011

• Take advantage of Patient Safety Monitor's Talk Group

  Members and nonmembers alike can take advantage of Patient Safety Talk, one feature of Patient...

• Blog spotlight: Nominate a star for the HCPro 2011 Nursing Image Awards

  Nominations are open for the HCPro 2011 Nursing Image Awards, which honor nurses whose leadership...

• Up to $500 million in Affordable Care Act funding will help health providers improve care

  Up to $500 million will be awarded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS...

• Editor’s pick: Ending Nurse-to-Nurse Hostility

  Researchers report that verbal abuse contributes to up to 24% of staff turnover and 42% of nurse...

Issue 25, June 22, 2011

• New tool: NQF and ANCC Magnet Recognition Program® NSIs

  Members of Patient Safety Monitor have access to the tools library, an archive of a number of...

• Blog spotlight: Is preventing wrong-site surgery rocket science?

  A very interesting article by Kaiser Health News, in collaboration with The Washington Post...

• Double hest scans risking patient safety

  Many hospitals are performing a type of chest scan that give patients too much radiation at a time...

• Editor's pick: Failure Modes and Effect Analysis book

  Failure Modes and Effect Analysis: Templates and Tools to Improve Patient Safety will help guide...

Issue 24, June 15, 2011

• Latest issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal now available

  The July issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal (formerly Briefings on Patient Safety) has been...

• Blog Spotlight: When quality data reaches the public

  Most of you who read this blog are likely aware of common adverse events that occur in hospitals...

• ED Diversion raises heart attack mortality

  Heart attack patients have a higher risk of dying within a year if the closest ED is on diversion...

• Editor’s Pick: Association for Healthcare Accreditation Professionals

  The Association for Healthcare Accreditation Professionals (AHAP) is a community in which survey...

Issue 23, June 8, 2011

• Large academic health systems not necessarily better at HAI prevention

  Consumer Reports recently studied 61 health systems with at least five hospitals that publicly...

• Blog Spotlight: $10 million donated to Johns Hopkins for patient safety institute

  A $10 million gift to Johns Hopkins will be used to start a patient safety institute dedicated to...

• Long ED wait times tied to mortality risk

  A new study published in the June 2011 issue of British Medical Journal found that patient...

• Editor's Pick: CMS Telemedicine Rule: Identify Opportunities and Comply with Revised Requirements

  The new credentialing and privileging requirements for physicians and practitioners who provide...

Issue 22, June 1, 2011

• $4.7 million award for surgeon against Cedars Sinai upheld

  A California Court of Appeals in Los Angeles upheld a $4.7 million arbitration award to a skull...

• Blog Spotlight: Researchers win $1.2 million grant to reduce radiation exposure risk

  In previous posts, we’ve blogged about the risks CT scans and X-rays pose to...

• Study finds e-prescribing system raises certain medication errors

  A new study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that although e-prescribing systems...

• Editor's Pick: Charge Nurse Orientation: Improve Customer Service, Quality, and Patient Safety

  During this 90-minute audio conference, speaker Tammy L. Berbarie, BA, RN-BC, will provide...

Issue 21, May 25, 2011

• Take advantage of Patient Safety Monitor?s Talk Group

  Members and nonmembers alike can take advantage of Patient Safety Talk, one feature of Patient...

• Blog Spotlight: CAUTI prevention new NPSG

  The Joint Commission has released a new National Patient Safety Goal. NPSG07.06.01 requires...

• Cardiac monitoring of wrong patients resulting in death

  The ECRI Institute Patient Safety Organization (PSO) has received reports of cardiac monitoring of...

• Editor's Pick: Occurrence Reporting: Building a Robust Problem Identification and Resolution Process

  This new resource by performance improvement expert Kenneth R. Rohde provides practical techniques...

Issue 20, May 18, 2011

• New tool: Hand Hygiene Monitor

  Members of Patient Safety Monitor have access to the tools library, an archive of a number of...

• Blog Spotlight: Hand-washing requirement stripped from patient safety bill

  Patient safety advocates are asking Nevada to reinstate a hand-washing requirement into its patient...

• Higher mortality rates for patients admitted on weekends

  A new study in the May issue of Archives of Surgery concludes that patients admitted on weekends...

• Editor's Pick: Failure Modes and Effect Analysis book

  New from HCPro, Inc., Failure Modes and Effect Analysis: Templates and Tools to Improve Patient...

Issue 19, May 11, 2011

• Latest issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal now available

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• Blog Spotlight: HHS recognizes hospitals’ patient safety successes

  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recognized 37 hospital and healthcare...

• New triage, physician-nurse huddles, discharge time outs new strategies to stop patient harm in ER

  Crico/RMF Strategies, whose parent company insures hospitals affiliated with Harvard University, is...

• Editor’s Pick: Enhance Patient Experience and Satisfaction Through Relationship-Based Care

  This 90-minute audio conference, now available on-demand, provides solutions for nurse managers to...

Issue 18, May 4, 2011

• Berwick Announces CMS Final Value-Based Purchasing Rules

  Hospitals now have the final set of Value Based Purchasing rules  governing how they will be...

• Blog Spotlight: Nurses to strike over unsafe staffing and patient conditions

  Registered nurses (RN) at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, MA, are holding a one-day strike on...

• CMS finds multiple patient safety deficiencies at Parkland Hospitals

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) found multiple patient safety deficiencies...

• Editor's Pick: Suicide Risk Assessment book

  This book and CD-ROM set help you determine when, and how, to identify and screen patients for...

Issue 17, April 27, 2011

• Take advantage of Patient Safety Monitor’s Talk Group

  Members and nonmembers alike can take advantage of Patient Safety Talk, one feature of Patient...

• Blog Spotlight: New Michigan law allows healthcare providers to say sorry

  A bill signed on April 19, 2011 by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder allows healthcare providers to...

• Post-surgical method helps to reduce surgical site infection

  The simple bedside technique of gently probing a surgical incision to clean it has been shown to...

• Editor's Pick: Medication Management audio conference

  All hospitals must comply with medication management requirements to provide quality care and avoid...

Issue 16, April 20, 2011

• Check out the tools library on Patient Safety Monitor!

  Members of Patient Safety Monitor have access to the tools library, an archive of a number of...

• Blog Spotlight: Joint Commission and FDA to focus on alarm fatigue

  The Joint Commission (TJC) told The Boston Globe that it would work with the Food and Drug...

• Heavy drinkers suffer more deadly infections

  Patients with alcohol use disorders might be more likely to die from healthcare-associated...

• Editor’s Pick: Patient Safety Monitor Free Live Demonstration

  I wanted to let all our readers know that HCPro will be hosting a complimentary live demo of...

Issue 15, April 13, 2011

• Latest issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal now available

  Latest issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal now available The May issue of Patient Safety...

• Blog Spotlight: Patient Safety Monitor Free Live Demo!

  I wanted to let our readers know that HCPro, Inc. will be hosting a complimentary live demo of...

• HHS invests $1 billion toward patient safety initiative

  Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...

• Editor's Pick: Enhance Patient Experience and Satisfaction Through Relationship-Based Care

  This 90-minute audio conference provides solutions for nurse managers to increase patient...

Issue 14, April 6, 2011

• CDC releases new catheter-related infection prevention guidelines

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices...

• Blog Spotlight: Do surgeons-in-training affect patient outcomes?

  A study published in the March issue of The Journal of the American College of Surgeons found that...

• Hands-free faucets much more likely carry Legionella than traditional faucets

  Because hands-free faucets are touched less often, it is widely assumed such faucets carry fewer...

• Editor’s Pick: Leverage the Value of your EHR audio conference

  Leverage the Value of your EHR: Improve Quality and Ensure Meaningful Use Incentive Payment helps...

Issue 13, March 30, 2011

• Take advantage of Patient Safety Monitor's Talk Group

  Members and nonmembers alike can take advantage of Patient Safety Talk, one feature of Patient...

• Blog Spotlight: An astronaut in healthcare

  Slate magazine published an interesting interview with James Bagian, astronaut, engineer...

• AHRQ launches redesign of Patient Safety Network site

  The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has revamped their Patient Safety Network website...

• Editor’s Pick: 5th Annual AHAP Conference in Las Vegas

  Our readers have an exciting opportunity to attend the next annual Association for Healthcare...

Issue 12, March 23, 2011

• Check out the tools library on Patient Safety Monitor!

  Members of Patient Safety Monitor have access to the tools library, an archive of a number of...

• Blog Spotlight: Comedy website launched to help relieve stress in OR staff

  FunnySurgeryStories.com, a HIPAA-compliant place for operating room pros to enjoy and share amusing...

• National Quality Strategy unveiled

  The Department of Health and Human Services unveiled the National Strategy for Quality Improvement...

• Editor’s Pick: Webcast to leverage the value of your EHR

  A 90-minute audio conference, Leverage the Value of your EHR: Improve Quality and Ensure Meaningful...

Issue 11, March 16, 2011

• HCPro offering a discount on patient safety products in honor of Patient Safety Awareness Week!

  HCPro offering a discount on patient safety products in honor of Patient Safety Awareness...

• Latest issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal now available

  The April issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal (formerly Briefings on Patient Safety) has been...

• Blog Spotlight: Medication error prompts lawsuit for Massachusetts General Hospital

  Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is facing a lawsuit after a 76-year-old woman...

• CDC awards $10 million for HAI prevention research and testing

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded $10 million to five academic...

• Editor’s Pick: Suicide Risk webcast

  With limited resources it’s a challenge for hospitals to perform thorough suicide risk...

Issue 10, March 9, 2011

• CDC urges hospitals to adopt CLABSI prevention strategies

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued a press release and media advisory...

• Blog Spotlight: Patient Safety Awareness Week is upon us

  The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) is celebrating Patient Safety Awareness Week (PSAW...

• Tainted alcohol wipes cause infections at Colorado hospital

  Staff at the Children's Hospital in Aurora, CO, became alarmed last fall when some young patients...

• Editor’s Pick: Reducing Nursing Documentation webcast

  Reducing Nursing Documentation: Put a Two-Form Solution into Action will help you implement a...

Issue 9, March 2, 2011

• HHS working to develop new flu vaccine technology

  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded contracts to two companies in...

• Blog Spotlight: Radiation continues to harm--this time, victims are preemies

  A recent New York Times article has exposed yet another patient safety incident involving...

• HAIs increase chance of readmission

  Thirty percent of patients in Pennsylvania hospitals who acquire healthcare-associated infections...

• Editor’s Pick: Soaring to Success book

  Written by a former airline pilot turned nurse and a risk management expert, Soaring to Success...

Issue 8, February 23, 2011

• Take advantage of Patient Safety Monitor’s Talk Group

  Members and nonmembers alike can take advantage of Patient Safety Talk, one feature of Patient...

• Blog Spotlight: NPSF launches new patient safety membership program

  A new membership program created to advance patient safety was launched today by the National...

• Radiation risk rises to top of patient safety concerns

  A woman who receives one abdominal-pelvic CT scan has a one in 250 chance of getting cancer. This...

• Editor’s Pick: Medication Reconciliation: Solutions to meet Joint Commission’s 2011 Changes

  In December, 2010, The Joint Commission completed its analysis of this consistently problematic...

Issue 7, February 16, 2011

• Check out the tools library on Patient Safety Monitor!

  Members of Patient Safety Monitor have access to the tools library, an archive of a number of...

• Blog Spotlight: Boston Globe highlights dangers of alarm fatigue

  In a two-part series, The Boston Globe has explored the dangers of alarm fatigue, a term used to...

• Tufts Medical Center nurses hold candlelight vigil for patient safety

  Nurses at Tufts Medical Center in Boston are holding a candlelight vigil on February 15, 2011 for...

• Editor’s Pick: The Chapter Leader’s Guide to the Medical Staff

  The Chapter Leader's Guide to Medical Staff: Practical Insight on Joint Commission Standards breaks...

Issue 6, February 9, 2011

• Latest issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal now available

  The March issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal (formerly Briefings on Patient Safety) has been...

• Blog Spotlight: Number of registrants for EHR incentives grow

  Fourteen thousand providers have been collecting data required under the federal electronic health...

• VA hospital halts all surgeries

  After an inspection that showed possible contamination of surgical equipment, the John Cochran...

• Editor’s Pick: Medication Reconciliation: Solutions to meet Joint Commission’s 2011 Changes

  In December, 2010, The Joint Commission completed its analysis of this consistently problematic...

Issue 5, February 2, 2011

• Is patient care lacking after a fall?

  A new report published in the January 28, 2011 issue of British Medical Journal has found that...

• PSM Blog Spotlight: Patient awarded $2.2 million after injuries from laparoscopic surgery

  A patient was awarded $2.2 million by Richard Wolf Medical Instruments after she suffered a stray...

• Infection checklist proven to save lives

  The checklist Peter Pronovost, MD, professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at Johns...

• Editor’s Pick: The Chapter Leader’s Guide to Performance Improvement

  The Chapter Leader's Guide to Performance Improvement breaks down The Joint Commission's...

Issue 4, January 26, 2011

• Take advantage of Patient Safety Monitor's Talk Group

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• PSM Blog Spotlight: The Joint Commission's Universal Protocol? proving to be effective in facilities

  Revisions made to The Joint Commission’s Universal Protocol™ (UP) on January 1, 2010...

• Study finds no link between EHR and better outcomes

  Researchers for the Archives of Internal Medicine analyzed physician survey data of about 255,000...

• Editor’s Pick: Chapter Leader Guide Series

  These practical books provide chapter leaders with simplified explanations of individual chapters...

Issue 3, January 19, 2011

• Check out the tools library on Patient Safety Monitor!

  Members of Patient Safety Monitor have access to the tools library, an archive of a number of...

• PSM Blog Spotlight: 3D technology used during surgery

  Those big 3D glasses made for movies have found their way into the operating room. The...

• Surgeons with suicidal thoughts unlikely to seek help

  A new study appearing in the January issue of Archives of Surgery has found that only about...

• Editor’s Pick: Creating a Just Culture book

  Creating a Just Culture: A Nurse Leader's Guide explains the process of creating and sustaining a...

• In Ireland, law would require admission of medical mistakes

  In an effort to ensure more reporting of adverse events, Minister for Health James Reilly is...

Issue 2, January 12, 2011

• Latest issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal now available

  The February issue of Patient Safety Monitor Journal (formerly Briefings on Patient Safety) has...

• PSM Blog spotlight: C. diff in children on the rise, guidelines for MRSA, and what’s up your nose

  There’s been quite a bit of infection control news out there, so here’s a...

• New GE tool estimates cost of medical errors

  Risk managers, financial officers, and patient safety directors could likely spend countless hours...

• Editor’s Pick: The Joint Commission Mock Tracer Made Simple

  This updated edition of our annual best-seller, The Joint Commission Mock Tracer Made Simple...

Issue 1, January 5, 2011

• IHI white paper advises how to handle serious adverse events

  The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) has released a new free white paper on managing...

• From the Patient Safety Monitor Blog: Boston hospital admits three spinal surgery errors in two months

  Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is in the spotlight after its surgeons made errors...

• C. diff in children on the rise

  Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is on the rise in U.S. children, reports the Los Angeles Times.

• Editor’s Pick of the Week: Reducing Nursing Documentation webcast

  The "Reducing Nursing Documentation: Put a Two-Form Solution into Action" webcast will...

Issue 35, August 31, 2011

• Blog spotlight: Learning from the Ritz

  Yet another company outside the field of healthcare has offered its services to teach hospitals...