Military leadership principles point way to better patient care
Physicians receive little leadership training in medical school, so they donโt always perform well in leadership roles. At Florida Hospital Orlando, that education gap is being filled through the Physician Leader Development (PLD) program, which applies military leadership principles to the healthcare setting. The innovative course has benefited not only…
Editorial
Healthcare consumers and providers alike are watching to see what changes will occur under the administration of President-elect Donald Trump. Thus far, at least a partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) seems likely. Thatโs in part because US Rep Tom Price (R-GA) is Trumpโs pick for Health and…
SSIs fall sharply with team-based protocol changes
Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a major cause of morbidity in surgical patients, leading to increased length of stay and healthcare costs. No single intervention has demonstrated efficacy in reducing SSIs. When SSIs rose to a rate of 16.3% in 2013 at St Elizabeth Boardman Hospital in Boardman, Ohio, perioperative…
Surgical receipt raises quality standards, lowers costs
Increasing costs and shrinking margins have continued to pressure business managers and senior hospital leadership to rethink strategies for raising surgeonsโ awareness of product and nonlabor costs within the OR. Often providers are asked to cut costs but are unaware of the actual costs of the products they use. In…
Huddles help hospitals move toward the goal
Like a football team gathering to confirm tactical details before a play, surgical staff often form a huddle to ensure readiness of the providers, patient, and equipment for the upcoming procedure. In a twist on the traditional huddle the day before surgery, staff at the Hospital of Central Connecticut (HOCC)…
Is pain treatment a risk or reward for ASCs?
A growing number of new devices, procedures, and drugs are becoming available to alleviate pain, especially the chronic type that lingers after incurring an injury or undergoing surgery. Pain management has become a medical specialty, and most pain relief procedures are appropriate for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). Some ASCs make…
Relationship between safety culture and patient experience
Editor's Note In this multi-state study examining the relationship between nurse-reported safety culture and the patient experience, researchers found that modifiable aspects of a hospitalโs culture can influence the achievement of high HCAHPS scores in nursing and global domains, which directly impact hospital reimbursement. Three safety culture domains were related…
Procedure volume linked to SSIs in CABG, total hip patients
Editor's Note Surgical site infection (SSI) risk for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and hip arthroplasty patients is highest in hospitals with low annual procedure volumes, yet these hospitals are excluded from quality reporting, this study finds. Even for high-volume hospitals, year-to-year variation in SSI rates makes past performance an…
AHRQ: HACs down 21% since 2010
Editor's Note Hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) fell 21% (3.1 million) between 2010 and 2015, saving nearly 125,000 lives and $28 billion in health care costs, according to a December 12 report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Among the findings: Adverse drug events were down 42.3%. Pressure ulcers…
Surgeon scorecard linked to surgical supply costs
Editor's Note Giving monthly cost feedback scorecards to surgeons was associated with significantly reduced surgical supply costs, without negatively affecting patient outcomes in this study. Of 249 surgeons representing 10 specialties, 63 were in the intervention group and 186 were in the control group. Surgeons in the intervention group each…