Past Issues - Becker's Clinical Leadership

2024

August/September 2024 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

8 hospitals leading the way in antimicrobial stewardship
The Infectious Diseases Society of America has recognized eight hospitals for excellence in antimicrobial stewardship.

Drug-resistant infections up 20% from 2019-22: CDC
Six bacterial antimicrobial-resistant hospital-onset infections have increased by a combined 20% since 2019, a CDC report found.

'Aggressive nurse recruitment is growing,' 130+ nurse groups say
The International Council of Nurses, an organization of more than 130 national nurses associations, is warning about some high-income countries recruiting nurses from vulnerable countries with critical health worker shortages.

The price of being a workaholic
People addicted to work are more likely than their peers to report health complaints — which is only one cost of workaholism, The Washington Post reported July 21.

Children's hospitals have 'stopped competing on safety' — maybe adult hospitals should too
In 2012, a program for children's hospitals in the U.S. and Canada launched to eliminate patient and employee harm.

An overlooked safety improvement area for hospitals
Health systems must ensure they're working to better understand and prevent safety risks among patients with disabilities, said Tejal Gandhi, MD, chief safety and transformation officer at Press Ganey.

University Hospitals' spin on virtual nursing
Many virtual nursing models involve separate teams where nurses work as either a bedside nurse or a virtual nurse. But Cleveland-based University Hospitals is taking a different approach.

Nurse workflow, Gen Z enter the patient experience spotlight
Patient experience measures are showing signs of rebounding after falling dramatically during the pandemic, and a few elements are entering the spotlight after having notable effects on hospital scores.

How to keep staff informed without fear, per 1 CNO
For Shannon Christian, MSN, RN, ensuring her team has a realistic view of the current state of the industry is a top priority.

Is COVID-19 endemic? Experts are split
The CDC now considers COVID-19 to be endemic, though not all health experts agree with this classification, NPR reported Aug. 9.

3 years of flexible nurse schedules — how it's going at Bon Secours Hampton Roads
Bon Secours Hampton Roads (Va.) market has embraced flexible nursing with autonomous scheduling and float shifts between hospitals for years.

May/June 2024 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

WHO unveils 10 patient safety rights
WHO announced 10 patient safety rights for healthcare.

5 hospitals creating a better ED experience for patients
Hospital leaders across the U.S. are trying to find creative solutions to reduce boarding in emergency departments, which challenges health systems.

Why nearly 8,000 nurses left their jobs
The U.S. has an all-time record number of actively licensed nurses — 5.6 million — but hospitals are struggling to recruit and retain enough. To discover missed opportunities, researchers surveyed 7,887 nurses who recently exited the healthcare industry.  

The state of nurse pay, work-life balance
Pay has increased for some nurses, and the same can be said for the number of nurses seeking a higher degree or additional certification — but workplace violence also is on the rise, a Nurse.org report found.

Hospitals' safety culture gap
Healthcare workers' perceptions of safety at their organizations is improving, though a gap still remains between senior leaders and front-line workers, according to an April 2 Press Ganey report.

The rise of 'social prescribing'
Nature walks. Dance classes. Volunteering. These are among the social activities being prescribed across at least 30 programs in the U.S. Social prescribing — or the practice of connecting people with nonclinical activities that target underlying concerns such as isolation, stress and access to healthy foods — is a well-known concept in Britain and is increasingly stirring interest in the U.S., experts told The New York Times in an April 17 report. 

Is healthcare paying enough attention to nurse leaders?
Over the past few years, much of the discourse on supporting the well-being of healthcare workers has focused on nurses and front-line teams — and rightfully so, as many nurses continue to report burnout stemming from their work environment. But to ensure efforts meant to support bedside nurses live up to their full potential, hospitals and health systems should be placing an equal focus on nurse managers, leaders say. 

Why a Texas system hasn't hired a travel nurse in 30 years
Beth Schmidt remembers the last time Fort Worth, Texas-based Cook Children's Health Care System hired a travel nurse, and it was not recently. 

'Creative' nurse shifts gain traction at Mercy Health hospital
At Mercy Health-St. Rita's Medical Center in Lima, Ohio, gone are the traditional scheduling demands for nurses. Instead, nurses get "creative shifts" that fit their needs, Cory Werts, MSN, RN, chief nursing officer for the Lima market, told Becker's.

Why UPMC opened a farm on a hospital campus
Farming began as a hobby for KimberLee Mudge, MD, a breast surgeon at UPMC Memorial in York, Pa., and it has now turned into an initiative designed to improve the health of people throughout Central Pennsylvania.

AI's potential for detecting HAIs in complex clinical scenarios
AI tools might be able to diagnose healthcare-associated infections, but human oversight is vital to ensuring patient safety, according to a study published March 13 in the American Journal of Infection Control. 

February/March 2024 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

How Mount Sinai is improving the patient experience
New York City-based Mount Sinai is looking to new technology this year to streamline care and enhance the patient experience, according to ​​LeWanza Harris, MD. 

Healthcare jobs' strong month in 8 numbers
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its latest jobs report, published Feb. 2, indicating employment gains in several areas of healthcare, including hospitals.

CHS cuts serious safety events by 89%
Over the last decade, Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems has significantly reduced the incidence of serious patient safety events across its member hospitals.

Nurse change agent, advocate dies at 97
Claire Fagin, PhD, RN, a leading change agent and nurse advocate, died Jan. 16, The New York Times reported Jan. 17. She was 97.

The strategy one hospital used to reduce surgical site infections
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics in Madison formed a "Strike Team" to create oversight and determine the possible cause of surgical site infections that occurred after colorectal surgery.

Intermountain's blueprint for reshaping respiratory virus care in 2024
Despite rising respiratory infections nationwide, Kim Bennion, the enterprise director of research and respiratory care at Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare, is optimistic about what 2024 may hold for respiratory care, thanks in-part to advances in technology like artificial intelligence. The advancements promise to streamline pulmonary care and could eventually be used to also monitor more acute respiratory conditions like COVID-19 or the flu.

Hospital masking picks up steam
More health systems have implemented mask rules in recent weeks amid an uptick in respiratory virus activity and growing concerns over potential capacity issues this winter.

5 patient safety focuses to help healthcare inch close to 'zero preventable harm'
The Patient Safety Movement Foundation, a non-profit based in Irvine, Calif., made up of patient safety experts and clinicians, announced five key focuses for 2024 as the organization works to create a "zero preventable harm" environment throughout the healthcare sector.

AdventHealth hired 7,000 nurses in 2 years. What happened next?
AdventHealth needed nurses post-pandemic. Quickly.

Are rising NCLEX pass rates a concern? 5 chief nursing executives weigh in
Critics have raised concerns around the NCLEX test and the rate at which students are passing the exam, but chief nursing officers told Becker's there are reasons for the improved scores.

How Scripps combats low-performing metrics
In an effort to focus on low-performing metrics, Scripps Health introduced "Sprint Teams," a program aimed at addressing challenges and driving initiatives through direct engagement with front-line care teams.

2023

November/December 2023 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

The technique that could cut central line infection rates by 47%
Having a trained nurse or nurse team present during central line procedures or catheter insertion reduces the chance of infection for patients by 47%, according to new research from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control.

CDC panel backs looser guidance on hospital masking
A CDC advisory committee voted Nov. 3 to finalize a draft of infection control guidelines that recommends healthcare workers wear masks during routine care to prevent the spread of common, endemic respiratory infections — a move National Nurses United has condemned for not going far enough to protect patients and staff from aerosol transmission. 

Hospitals regain lost ground in HAI fight
Hospitals are making strides in reducing healthcare-associated infections after a major spike during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new data from The Leapfrog Group.

The human toll of surgical outcome disparities
More than 12,000 deaths could have been avoided if racial disparities in medicine and surgery had been addressed at the root, according to new research from the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

Where 'automation has not been kind to nursing'
While automation holds the lucrative promise for many fields of removing mundane tasks from workloads, some nurse leaders are hopeful — but questioning — if emerging technology will do the same in their field.

Safety and on-site hospital leadership: A complex balance
The COVID-19 pandemic forced healthcare organizations to think differently about the workplace. Hospital and health system employees, particularly certain non-clinical staff, started working remotely when the crisis struck.

How hospitals can prevent the most common sentinel event
Falls are the most common sentinel event resulting in harm or death of hospital patients so far in 2023, according to data from The Joint Commission.

Why 1 hospital president is focusing equity efforts on post-discharge
Alison Brown, RN, president of University of Maryland Medical Center's Midtown Campus in Baltimore, knows that it takes data to move the needle forward on health equity in a measurable way.

Why human creativity is essential to healthcare safety
Integrating human factors is essential for the future of healthcare safety and sustainability, but many systems are working against the system instead of toward it, an op-ed piece in Science Direct written by five physicians said.

A gap in front-line staff training — and how Lifespan is closing it
"If you see something, say something." It's a phrase familiar to front-line staff who hospitals and health systems in large part rely on to report safety risks and events, but in many cases, a key component is missing: Training.

Could hospital-acquired infections be prevented with new vaccine?
Hospital-acquired infections have been on the rise in recent years, but a possible new vaccine developed by researchers could be given to patients upon arrival to help prevent antibiotic-resistant infections. 

Dr. Fauci's worst fear post-COVID-19: A short memory
In the 38 years Anthony Fauci, MD, spent as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, he was often asked what his worst nightmare was. His answer remained consistent: The emergence of a new viral pathogen capable of spreading quickly and causing significant morbidity and mortality.

September/October 2023 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

CMS to reward hospitals for high-quality, equitable care
CMS will increase payments to hospitals for treating homeless patients and implementing equitable quality measures aimed at reducing preventable harm, the agency said Aug. 1.

White House unveils precision surgery program
The White House is launching a program to help surgeons remove cancerous tumors more accurately to improve patient outcomes.

Which HCAHPS measures fell most during pandemic
HCAHPS measures assessing hospital staff's responsiveness and hospital cleanliness fell the most during the pandemic as hospitals grappled with severe staffing shortages, according to a study published Aug. 25 in JAMA Health Forum.

The most dangerous places to work in healthcare
Two of the 10 most dangerous job sectors in America belong to the healthcare industry.

States take on 'doctor' title debate
Several states are taking on the debate of whether to prevent nonphysicians from using the doctor title, but nurse practitioners with doctorates are pushing back, The Washington Post reported Aug. 20.

Nurses just want to be nurses again: ANA leader
In most cases, "just a nurse" isn't a welcomed phrase. But quite literally, today's nurses want to get back to a place where they can actually focus on being nurses and providing patient care instead of being an "organizational sponge" that absorbs what often seems like an infinite number of tasks, Katie Boston-Leary, PhD, RN, wrote in an Aug. 3 opinion piece published in nurse.org.

Hospitals enter uncharted territory on masking
This fall will mark the first virus season since COVID-19 emerged in which hospitals and health systems must independently determine when and how to implement universal masking, if at all.

The 'meta-dehumanization' of first responders
Healthcare's first responders are often hailed as "heroes." This classification could be contributing to higher burnout rates, according to a recent study. 

'We can no longer simply increase wages': What health systems are doing instead for retention
The national healthcare staffing shortage has inflated wages and increased competition for talented nurses and clinical support staff. For a while, hospitals' main retention strategy was increased wages; that's changing as nurses feel more comfortable with their pay and have begun to value other qualities in a workplace.

Physicians should 'think fungus' amid rising infections, CDC expert says
Fungal infections have been on the rise since COVID-19's inception, but public health tracking tools, tests, and data systems in the U.S. are not quite where they need to be yet, Tom Chiller, MD, CDC's head of mycotic diseases, told Becker's.

'I never said no to an opportunity': MetroHealth's chief nursing officer on change
Melissa Kline, DNP, RN, did not intend to go into leadership when she started as a staff nurse at Cleveland-based MetroHealth. But over the last 20 years, she realized leadership is where she belonged.

The crossover potential of nursing and pharmacy work
When Gina Batterman, RN, was pursuing her nursing degree with the goal of working in pharmacy, her professors thought she was crazy. 

Where are all the med-surg nurses?
St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare hoped to see more nurses go into medical-surgical once the COVID-19 pandemic died down and competitive pay rates for travel assignments in critical care and emergency departments stabilized. That hasn't happened. More than 70 percent of the system's agency dollars are currently being spent on nurses to work in med-surg units, Tommye Austin, PhD, RN, senior vice president and chief nursing executive at the health system, told Becker's.

July/August 2023 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

Top 9 reasons healthcare workers quit
Healthcare organizations must make sure employees feel valued and well-paid to retain them, according to Grant Thornton's State of Work in America report.

Debate over masking in healthcare settings persists post-PHE
Now is not the time to do away with masks in healthcare settings, two infectious disease physicians wrote in a commentary published May 16 in Annals of Internal Medicine, an indication that the debate over whether hospitals should continue to mandate masking is not wavering any time soon.

Fauci: Why the chances of eradicating the COVID-19 virus are 'zero'
Anthony Fauci, MD, believes the chances of eradicating the virus that causes COVID-19 are zero.

Neglect allegations spur internal review at Boston hospital
Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Boston is conducting an internal review of inpatient deaths in response to allegations of neglect and suboptimal care for patients with mental health disabilities.

AI could end the war on antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Cambridge, Mass.-based MIT and Ontario, Canada-based McMaster University researchers have found a new antibiotic treatment that can kill a common bacteria in hospital infections thanks to machine learning.

CDC publishes ventilation guidance for respiratory infection
The CDC published guidance on improving building ventilation to protect people from respiratory infections.

'F' to 'A': How this Chicago hospital leaped to top safety grade
In past years, leaders at St. Bernard Hospital on Chicago's South Side weren't fans of The Leapfrog Group's safety grades that are handed out twice a year. "F" grades in both spring and fall of 2021 had been stinging reminders that the safety net hospital wasn't doing enough to focus on patient safety.

The 5 fastest growing jobs within nursing
Here are the fastest growing jobs within nursing between 2021 and 2031, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

What experienced nurses want newer peers to know
Nurses with decades of experience have been there, done that, seen and heard it all. They are more than willing to share advice about what they wish new nurses could already know and feel today that would help strengthen their practice.

Spike in HAIs should 'stop hospitals in their tracks': Leapfrog
Data released as part of The Leapfrog Group's annual hospital rankings — which analyzed data from late 2021 and into 2022 — revealed a significant rise in healthcare-associated infections — a trend that was in decline prior to the pandemic.

Better work environment for nurses tied to lower C. diff rates
Nurses at the bedside play a key role in prevention of hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile in patients, a new study has found.

'It's going to get worse': Experts warn of rising fungal infections
Fungal infections are on the rise — in part due to more people with compromised immune systems and deadly pathogens adapting to warmer temperatures — and physicians need to be ready, experts told The Wall Street Journal in a June 22 report.

3rd physician leaves Kansas hospital amid CEO termination
A third physician has left Norton (Kan.) County Hospital amid the termination of former CEO Brian Kirk.

May / June 2023 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

'Focus on creating great experiences': How healthcare marketing is evolving
In rural areas, where hospitals are shuttering or are no longer offering care such as labor and delivery, patients have no choice but to travel for healthcare. However, in and around big cities, the situation is the opposite: competition between hospitals to attract patients is fierce.

Top 10 patient safety concerns for 2023
The pediatric mental health crisis is the most pressing patient safety concern in 2023, the Emergency Care Research Institute said March 13. 

85% of nurses plan to leave hospital roles 1 year from now: Survey
A nursing workforce that has been shrinking dramatically may be headed toward even greater challenges. Only 15 percent of nurses working in hospital settings say they plan to stay in their current positions one year from now, according to a survey of more than 18,000 nurses conducted by AMN Healthcare, one of the largest healthcare staffing company in the country.

Fast-tracked nursing program shows early success in Maryland: 12 numbers
A nursing education program invented at Baltimore-based University of Maryland Medical System is showing promising signs, its creators told The Baltimore Banner. 

The hidden penalty of remote work
Many U.S. workers have wholeheartedly embraced the flexibility and freedom of working from home, but new research suggests there may be a hidden downside to remote work, The New York Times reported April 24.

How Duke's health system supports a workforce that is 60% millennial or Gen Z
To retain workers, hospitals and health systems must ensure they meet employee needs and expectations across generations. This is particularly true as more older healthcare workers have retired or plan to retire, and as younger generations such as millennials and Generation Z make up large portions of their workforces.

'Being a nurse positioned me for this': MetroHealth's CEO on rising into leadership
Airica Steed, EdD, RN, appears to be a woman made to be a healthcare CEO; her story is like something out of a comic book.

'It doesn't have to be us or them': 1 chief nursing officer's take on the future of hospitals
Athena Minor, MSN, RN, chief nursing and clinical officer at Hartford, Ky.-based Ohio County Healthcare, found hope in some of the changes necessitated by COVID-19.

The new 'Operation Warp Speed'
The Biden administration aims to accelerate the development of new coronavirus vaccines and treatments through a more than $5 billion program dubbed "Project Next Gen," The Washington Post reported April 10.

FDA commissioner: Medical misinformation is hurting US life expectancy
Medical misinformation is a contributing factor to lowered life expectancies in the U.S., FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, told CNBC.

The rise of 'elective injuries'
The rise of platforms such as TikTok and Instagram has created a new enemy for hospital emergency departments: viral social media challenges.

Meritus Health CEO: Make health inequity a 'never event'
It's time for healthcare organizations to label health inequities as "never events" and abandon the idea that eliminating them is a "journey" or "marathon," Maulik Joshi, DrPH, president and CEO of Hagerstown, Md.-based Meritus Health, wrote in a March 25 opinion piece published in Medpage Today.

March / April 2023 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

3 reasons why physicians aren't specializing in infectious diseases
The U.S. is facing a dire shortage of infectious disease specialists and some experts point to a complex web of issues that currently face the specialty as drivers of the shortage, Fox News reported Jan. 25.

US spends most on healthcare but has worse outcomes: 6 report findings
The U.S. spends two to four times as much on healthcare as most other high-income countries, but the health outcomes lag behind, a new Commonwealth Fund study found.

5 patient experience tips from Cleveland Clinic's former CXO
Adrienne Boissy, MD, a practicing neurologist and Cleveland Clinic's former chief experience officer, has been in healthcare for 20 years, but as is the case with so many professionals in the field, COVID-19 reshaped how she viewed the patient experience and her role as a provider. 

Paxlovid rebound rate is 14%, study finds
The risk of a Paxlovid rebound may be higher than previously reported, according to a study published Feb. 22 in Clinical Infectious Diseases, an Oxford University Press journal.

5th person cured of HIV, researchers say
Another person has been cured of HIV, according to findings published Feb. 20 in Nature. 

The key to reinvigorating infection control? Getting back to basics, says Mount Sinai's Dr. Aaron Glatt
After three long pandemic years, the time is now for hospital clinicians to refocus efforts on infection control and prevention, said Aaron E. Glatt, MD, chair of medicine, chief of infectious disease and epidemiologist at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, N.Y.

Nurse practitioners often an untapped solution to workforce shortages, AANP president says
Hospital beds are nearly full and waiting times in emergency departments across the U.S. are often untenable. However, April Kapu, DNP, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, recently told Becker's that nurse practitioners can provide solutions for hospitals facing clinician shortages.

How 4 chief medical officers are navigating challenges while prioritizing care
Navigating nationwide staffing shortages while maintaining quality of care are just two of the many mounting challenges chief medical officers face, and seek to overcome, right now.

Texas hospital completes 11- hour 'historic' surgery to separate conjoined twins
A team of 25 medical professionals at Fort Worth, Texas-based Cook Children's Medical Center performed the hospital's first separation procedure for conjoined twin sisters on Jan. 23. The 11-hour surgery required months of planning and several simulation surgeries, the hospital said in a news release.

How Henry Ford rehired 25% of nurses who left during the pandemic
Job flexibility is at the center of hospitals' and health systems' strategies to welcome back nurses who left during earlier stages of the COVID-19 pandemic — and some are seeing significant progress. 

Taking a strategic approach to virtual nursing: The top 3 do's and don'ts
The persistent nursing shortage has pushed many hospitals and health systems toward innovative nursing models as a means to maximize staff, improve patient satisfaction and reduce costs.

How Novant's Heather King went from CNA to hospital president
Heather King, BSN, RN, president and chief operating officer of Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center in Bolivia, N.C., climbed from certified nursing assistant to hospital executive in 17 years because, as her mentor put it, she "never said no to anything."

January/February 2023 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

C. difficile has a secret ally, researchers find
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia researchers found that Enterococcus, an antibiotic-resistant pathogen, works with Clostridioides difficile, or C. diff, to change the metabolic environment in the gut so C. diff can thrive, Science Daily reported Nov. 16.

The cost of diagnostic errors in the ED: 5 study notes
A new study led by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that estimates 370,000 patients may suffer serious harm as a result of misdiagnosis in U.S. emergency departments every year is being met with strong criticism from medical societies representing emergency physicians, The New York Times reported Dec. 15.

Joint Commission to overhaul quality metrics, freeze accreditation fees
The Joint Commission is undergoing sweeping overhaul of its standards, eliminating 168 standards (14 percent) and revising another 14 standards. The organization is looking to make its accreditation programs as "efficient and impactful on patient safety, quality and equity as possible," according to Jonathan Perlin, MD, PhD, president and chief executive officer of The Joint Commission.

Trinity Health aims to reduce worker stress with daily pay option
Amid workforce shortages and recruitment and retention challenges, Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health set out to discuss ways to alleviate stress in employees' lives. An interprofessional team across the health system began those talks about a year ago. One of the results was a new pay option for workers under which they can access their money by the day.

How 3 health systems promote nurse civility
The Joint Commission is working to change the way unprofessional issues are communicated between nurses using a report system and trained peer messengers.

The top items on 5 chief medical officers' to-do lists
Clinical leaders across the country know employee burnout, medication shortages and respiratory infections, among a wealth of other challenges, have created the not-so-perfect storm in hospitals. 

Nursing ranked most trusted profession for 22nd year in a row
The nursing profession continues to secure the highest assessment of ethics and honesty from Americans, according to the latest Gallup poll findings. 

5 top patient safety issues for 2023
The Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control editorial team chose the following five patient safety issues for healthcare leaders to prioritize in 2023, presented below in no particular order, based on news, study findings and trends reported in the past year.

Michelin-star food for the same price as frozen meals: How Northwell does it
Hospitals have a reputation for bland or unhealthy food, but New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health is flipping the script by hiring chefs from Michelin-star restaurants.

ANA's new president: What healthcare leaders get wrong about resiliency
Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, RN, the newest president of the American Nurses Association, twitches when she hears the word resiliency.

CommonSpirit's plan to support 44,000 nurses in 2023
Leaders at small health systems might be quick to dismiss the idea of an internal nurse staffing agency, thinking it's not an option for them. Kathy Sanford, DBA, RN, would challenge that assumption.

Why nurses are signing 'unresignation' letters
A nurse staffing community is encouraging nurses who left the profession or are considering an exit to recommit as part of a new "unResignation Notice" campaign. The campaign aims to spread awareness on the workplace challenges that contributed to nurses' departures.

56 best jobs in healthcare, per US News
U.S. News and World Report on Jan. 10 released its best jobs ranking for 2023. Of the 190 jobs on the list, 56 were healthcare or healthcare support-related.

Viewpoint: Safety work relies too much on clinicians' heroism
A national patient safety effort that standardizes best practices across all U.S. hospitals is required to achieve and sustain meaningful improvements in patient care, five patient safety experts said in a NEJM Catalyst article published Dec. 12.  

2022

November/December 2022 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

7 chief nursing officers on their most pressing issues
Hospital and health system chief nursing officers are focusing on nurse well-being and workforce retention as they head into the end of 2022.

The risks of 'medium COVID'
A plethora of research suggests that the risk of severe health complications is highest in the weeks — not months — after a COVID-19 infection, yet this crucial period is often lumped into the broader term "long COVID-19," Benjamin Mazer, MD, wrote in an Oct. 11 article for The Atlantic.

3 guarantees travel nurses would need from their hospitals to return
Some travel nurses who left full-time hospital jobs during the pandemic have no plans to return. But there is a subset of reachable nurses who say they would consider returning to a full-time bedside role if hospitals made certain guarantees.

5 health systems' biggest patient safety win this year
From creating safety culture tools to collaborating with other systems, hospitals and health systems are consistently working to improve patient safety.

Why hospitals won't keep universal masking around forever
Face masks have played a crucial role in reducing COVID-19 transmission in hospitals, but clinical and infection control experts are not convinced the pandemic has set a new precedent for widespread use of facial coverings in healthcare settings.

10 practices to address diagnostic errors: Joint Commission
Researchers have developed a list of 10 high-priority safety practices to help healthcare organizations address diagnostic errors, based on a comprehensive literature review and input from additional experts.

Bain: 25% of clinicians want out of healthcare
One quarter of U.S. physicians, advanced practice providers and nurses are considering switching careers and one third are considering switching employers, according to newly released results from a survey conducted by Bain & Company.

HAIs continued to rise in 2021, CDC finds
The incidence of several common healthcare-associated infections reported by U.S. hospitals increased in 2021, new CDC data shows.

WHO identifies 19 fungal 'priority pathogens'
For the first time, the World Health Organization released a list of fungal "priority pathogens" that have emerged as significant public health threats. The list can be found here.

Why patient falls are so hard to get ahead of
From shock-absorbing flooring to wearable technologies, hospitals have tried a litany of interventions to get to zero patient falls. But for years, falls have consistently landed on The Joint Commission's list of most common sentinel events.

17 most common long COVID-19 symptoms: Kaiser Permanente
Researchers at Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente identified 17 conditions most frequently associated with long COVID-19 in a study published Oct. 12 in Nature Medicine. The study is among the first to account for preexisting conditions when defining such symptoms.

$5M gift creates chief caregiver endowment at Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic has received a $5 million gift that will support new caregiver wellness initiatives through an endowed fund, the health system said Oct. 25.

CMS penalizes 2,273 hospitals for high readmissions: 6 things to know
CMS evaluated two and a half years of readmission cases for Medicare patients through the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program and penalized 2,273 hospitals that had a greater-than-expected rate of return, according to a Nov. 1 report from Kaiser Health News.

Viewpoint: Stop treating nurses like selfless mothers
Advocating for better working conditions is an especially challenging task for nurses, as they are battling a long history of sexism and false notions about the profession, Stephen Mihm, PhD, wrote in an op-ed published Sept. 16 in Bloomberg.

September/October 2022 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control 

What does 'quiet quitting' look like at hospitals?
The trend of "quiet quitting" has recently gained traction on social media, referring to a phenomenon in which workers to reduce their enthusiasm at work and stick to the minimum expectations of their role. Some professionals, including Generation Z workers, have embraced the concept as an increased form of work-life balance, and others see it as a lesser-version of actually quitting. Regardless of how an individual interprets the idea, the concept is not new among the U.S. workforce or in healthcare, according to Jeremy Sadlier, executive director of the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration.

5 states with highest, lowest CAUTI rates
Vermont hospitals have the highest catheter associated urinary tract infection rate in the country, while hospitals in Washington, D.C., have the lowest, CDC data shows.

'A total disruptor to how we do business': Cleveland Clinic's new patient experience metric
Since their initial rollout in 2019, plan of care visits — which bring nurses and providers to the patient's bedside together — have become characteristic of the way care is delivered and managed across Cleveland Clinic. They've become so beneficial that the system has done away with chasing other experience scores, such as patients' likelihood to recommend.

Side hustle or exit path? How COVID-19 shifted the side gig landscape for nurses
Pre-pandemic, it wasn't uncommon for hospital nurses to have side gigs on their days off, be it paid or volunteer work.

Hospitals' uncomfortably high tolerance for errors
Learning from mistakes generally is considered the upside to failure. But in healthcare, where staff members regularly face stressors and systemic issues that impede a strong culture of safety, creating that standard can be difficult.

10 most common sentinel events of 2022: Joint Commission
Patient falls were the most common sentinel event reported among hospitals in the first six months of 2022, according to a Sept. 7 report from The Joint Commission.

Violating EMTALA, state abortion bans: What's at stake for physicians, hospitals
HHS aimed to add some clarity to the nation's shifting abortion landscape in July when it issued guidance to hospitals underscoring that abortion is covered under a 36-year-old federal law requiring Medicare hospitals to provide all patients appropriate emergency care. The law has since become the center of legal disputes over abortion in Idaho and Texas.

C. auris growing more drug-resistant, experts say
Infections caused by the fungi Candida auris and Aspergillus are becoming harder to treat with medication, experts told NBC News in an Aug. 13 report.

Early warnings, few false alerts: What physicians want out of AI sepsis detection tools
A new artificial intelligence sepsis detection system had an 89 percent adoption rate by physicians and nurses, higher than other legacy tools, which typically garner a 10 percent adoption rate, a study published July 21 shows.

Why no treatment for long COVID-19 exists yet
Two years into the pandemic, millions of people are living with long COVID-19, and there is still no proven treatment for the condition, Nature reported Aug. 9.

How Geisinger's refund program is faring amid patient experience crisis
In the middle of a patient experience crisis, the logical assumption for a health system that gives patients the opportunity to request a refund is that those expenses will skyrocket. Geisinger has seen the opposite, with patient refunds on the decline in recent years.

Viewpoint: Health equity can't be achieved without nurses
The public health sector needs to provide nurses with resources to more comprehensively address and advocate for health equity, Tarissa Host wrote for the MinnPost Aug. 22.

The best pieces of advice 4 CNOs from top 10 hospitals have ever received
Four nursing chiefs from US News & World Report's best ranked hospitals recently spoke with Becker's Hospital Review about the best advice they've received – whether it be from colleagues or family members.

The initiative that's bringing nurses back to the bedside at Jefferson Health
Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health launched its "Nursing SEAL Team" program in July, which aims to give nurses more flexibility with where they work. Now, in the month since the initial team launch, the program has expanded into other departments and is attracting former employees back to the system.

July/August 2022 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control 

What an increasingly anxious workforce means for patient care
Whether a school in Uvalde, Texas, or a hospital campus in Tulsa, Okla., a recent series of violent events are constant reminders of the potential for what could unfold on healthcare workers' home campuses. The omnipresent anxiety over gun violence in the workplace — a possibility that increasingly seems more likely — has negative consequences for care delivery and the patient experience.

A powerful way to start a medical appointment? With non-medical questions
Talking to patients about the social determinants of their health is just as, if not more, important as prescribing medication to treat an ailment, according to physicians practicing at organizations that utilize screenings to learn about factors like housing and employment.

Why Advocate Aurora is paying employees to take 'renewal days'
Advocate Aurora Health is paying nurses and other staff members to step away from their jobs for a day to participate in a "renewal day" focused on employee wellness and connection. 

NewYork-Presbyterian CXO Rick Evans: An HCAHPS update is needed urgently
Virtually every adult inpatient hospital in America administers the HCAHPS survey to patients. The data from these surveys are publicly reported for all to see, and star ratings are assigned to hospitals based on this patient feedback. In addition, results of these surveys are a driver of the government’s Value-Based Purchasing program, which rewards or penalizes hospitals based on performance. HCAHPS and other CMS-mandated quality measures are ingrained into most hospitals’ goal setting and operations. The stakes on performance are high.

The best and worst states for healthcare during COVID-19
The Commonwealth Fund released its 2022 Scorecard on State Health System Performance, which was modified from previous years to factor each state's response and management of the COVID-19 pandemic into its grade.

Why PAs aren't using the term 'physician associate' yet
The American Academy of Physician Assistants has officially changed its name to the American Academy of Physician Associates as part of a larger rebranding effort for the profession, but the association is not advising PAs to use the new term in a professional capacity yet.

Jefferson Health boosts staffing flexibility with 'Nursing SEAL Team'
Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health is aiming to give nurses more flexibility with where they work through a new "Nursing SEAL Team," the health system said July 6.

Has smell, taste returned for COVID-19 survivors? 2 latest findings
Temporary loss of smell emerged as a common indicator of COVID-19 early in the pandemic. Research into the cause and treatment of the condition, known as anosmia, is ongoing, though recent studies have brought us one step closer to answers.

Joint Commission faces more pressure to require safe staffing for accreditation
Hospital workers and allies in Illinois and Indiana are urging The Joint Commission to add staffing standards to its accreditation and licensing process for healthcare facilities.

1 in 3 physicians reported mistreatment in past year
Nearly 30 percent of physicians reported experiencing discrimination and mistreatment from patients or patients’ family members or visitors, a study published May 19 in JAMA Network Open found.

5 best health systems to grow your career: LinkedIn
Five health systems made LinkedIn's list of the 25 best healthcare companies to grow your career in the industry.

Is nursing recession-proof?
Amid a growing risk of recession for the U.S., there is at least one healthcare occupation that appears in solid position to withstand an economic downturn: nursing, a registered nurse from Louisiana argues in a June 20 article on nurse.org.

Sanford to hire more than 700 foreign nurses by 2025
Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health is planning to hire more than 700 internationally trained nurses over the next three years to work at the system's four major medical centers and several critical access hospitals, Chief Nursing Officer Erica DeBoer, RN, told Becker's June 15.

May/June 2022 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control 

The exodus of young nurses
The U.S. nursing workforce fell by more than 100,000 in 2021, primarily driven by nurses under age 35 leaving hospital-based jobs, according to an analysis published April 13 in Health Affairs.

10 executives on quality improvement measures deserving more attention
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused quality leaders to seek innovative solutions to not only maintain but reinvigorate quality efforts, with renewed attention on maintaining measures as hospitalizations have dwindled since the omicron surge.

The value of wearing a mask when others don't
A federal judge's rejection of the nation's mask mandate for travelers taking public transportation set off a flurry of responses.

Dr. Vineet Arora: Female physicians are not immune to the 'she-cession'
Women, including female physicians, were hit hard during the pandemic, as they juggled their careers and a plethora of caregiving responsibilities, according to Vinnet Arora, MD, speaking on a March 21 American Medical Association podcast.

Where are the 22 Leapfrog straight-'A' hospitals?
The Leapfrog Group released its spring 2022 Hospital Safety Grades on May 10, assigning "A" through "F" letter grades to nearly 3,000 general acute care hospitals in the U.S. for patient safety performance.

Top 5 most challenging requirements in 2021: Joint Commission
Reducing the risk of hospital-acquired infections was the most challenging compliance standard for hospitals in 2021, according to The Joint Commission.

Is it time for more nurse CEOs?
With nearly one-third of registered nurses considering leaving their current roles amid historic workforce shortages, healthcare executives nationwide are scrambling to better understand and meet nurses' needs. This task may come easier for hospital and health system CEOs with hands-on nursing experience, but so-called "nurse CEOs" are few and far between.

A 5-letter fix for medication errors
RaDonda Vaught's conviction for a fatal medication error is drawing newfound attention to the technological vulnerabilities of electronic medication cabinets, Kaiser Health News reported April 29.

The top-rated hospitals for patient experience, state by state: 2022
Becker's has compiled a list of the best hospitals for patient experience in each state using the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems scores from CMS.

Unclear link between physician burnout, care quality: Study
A study involving physician surveys and Medicare claims data found no consistent relationship between burnout and patient outcomes, according to findings published in the April edition of Health Affairs.

Cedars-Sinai's new division is trailblazing AI to improve patient care
Cedars-Sinai is working to fill in the gaps in mechanisms, diagnostics, risk assessment and therapeutics of major human disease conditions using artificial intelligence.

Rudeness: A care quality issue
For many people, rude behavior is no more than an unwelcome nuisance. But for those in healthcare, the consequences can be far more detrimental.

What made baby-boomer nurses work through the pandemic?
From novices to seasoned experts, the COVID-19 pandemic challenged all nurses in different ways. Facing a time of unprecedented turbulence in their careers, some baby-boomer nurses took the opportunity to retire early.

Nurse practitioner average annual wage in 50 states
Nurse practitioners in the U.S. make an average of $118,040 annually, according to the latest data released March 31 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

March/April 2022 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control 

Why don't hospitals just pay full-time nurses more?
Hospitals' reliance on travel workers is nothing new. The pandemic intensified it and highlighted the gap between full-time workers' pay and lucrative temporary contracts.

10 top patient safety concerns for 2022
Staffing shortages are the top threat to patient safety in 2022, according an annual report on patient safety concerns from ECRI, an organization that conducts independent medical device evaluations, published March 14.

Children's Hospital Colorado's 1st mental health-in-chief on the now or never moment facing the US
Last May, Children's Hospital Colorado declared a state of emergency in pediatric mental health after seeing its emergency department and inpatient units "overrun with kids attempting suicide" and suffering from other mental health conditions. As part of the declaration, the hospital made a commitment that it would address the worsening crisis. One of the major shifts included creating a new leadership role, the mental health-in-chief.

What will make workers want to stay in healthcare? Answers from 22 execs
Healthcare workers have left their roles or profession altogether in droves amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why do some people lose smell, taste from COVID-19? 1 explanation
A mechanism has been identified that may explain why some people with COVID-19 lose their sense of smell, according to research published Feb. 1 in Cell.

38 top-rated hospitals hit with Medicare penalties
CMS will trim 764 hospitals' Medicare payments in fiscal year 2022 for having the highest rates of patient injuries and infections. Thirty-eight of those hospitals are simultaneously ranked as the best in the country by CMS, according to Kaiser Health News.

Nurses accuse PeaceHealth of retaliation after raising safety concerns
Nurses who worked at hospitals owned or operated by Vancouver, Wash.-based PeaceHealth are accusing the health system of retaliating against them when they raised concerns about patient and worker safety, NBC News reported Feb. 6.

Don't let the term fool you — 'Endemic' can be dangerous
The word "endemic" is one of the most misused of the pandemic, contributing to a dangerous complacency about COVID-19's potential future toll, Aris Katzourakis, PhD, professor of evolution and genomics at St. Hilda's College Oxford in the U.K., wrote in a Jan. 24 op-ed published in Nature.

10 infection control upgrades needed before next pandemic
The U.S. needs to bolster its infection prevention and control infrastructure to prepare for future pandemics and the rise of healthcare-associated infections, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology said in a March 8 report.

Nurses to Joint Commission: Require safe staffing levels for accreditation
Nurses across the country are calling on The Joint Commission to require "safe staffing ratios" as a condition of accreditation for healthcare facilities, the Chicago Tribune reported March 15.

If 1 in 5 healthcare workers have quit, where have they gone?
A frequently cited statistic is that nearly 1 in 5 healthcare workers have quit their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an October 2021 Morning Consult report.

Healthgrades' 50 top hospitals for 2022
Healthgrades has recognized 250 hospitals nationwide for exceptional care via its America's Best Hospitals awards released Feb. 8.

7 ways to immediately reduce nurse strain
Hospitals and health systems are increasingly partnering with nursing schools or offering academic financial assistance to bolster the nursing pipeline. While an influx of nursing students will eventually help address workforce issues, there will be at least a two-year lag before these investments pay off, and with a growing nursing shortage, hospitals can't afford to wait.

'Cap hospital CEO pay,' travel nurses say
As hospitals and lawmakers urge federal authorities to investigate travel staffing agencies for price-gouging, some travel nurses want the scrutiny redirected toward health systems' C-suites.

January/February 2022 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control 

What Northwell's new chief quality officer refuses to look away from
Peter Silver, MD, hasn't allowed the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic distract him from the goal that has defined his career: providing his patients with the highest quality of care possible.

Healthcare workers can't get off the COVID-19 rollercoaster
Healthcare workers left the proverbial loading platform in 2020 for a ride of COVID-19 surges that only get tougher, not easier, to stomach.

How Cleveland Clinic has saved $133M in physician retention
In 2008, Cleveland Clinic instituted a peer-based coaching and mentoring program for physicians and scientists to promote a proactive approach to clinician well-being for allcomers, which officials estimate has saved the health system at least $133 million in physician retention alone in 2020.

UPMC launches in-house travel staffing agency to address nursing shortage
UPMC is creating an in-house travel staffing agency to address the nationwide nursing shortage and to attract and retain highly skilled nurses and surgical technologists, the Pittsburgh-based health system said Dec. 17.

NewYork-Presbyterian CXO Rick Evans: We are in a patient experience crisis
I've had the privilege of working to improve the patient experience in hospitals and healthcare settings for over 20 years. I've been part of teams that have successfully "moved the needle" year over year in challenging markets like Boston and New York.

Nurses: The most trusted US professionals 20th year in a row
Americans said nurses are the most honest and ethical professionals for the 20th consecutive year, according to an annual Gallup poll.

5 top safety issues for hospitals to address in 2022
As the healthcare industry enters the pandemic's third year, many leaders are working to reinvigorate staff and patient safety efforts.

Some hospitals pushing medical-grade masks over cloth coverings as omicron spreads
Citing community transmission and record high cases of COVID-19 as the omicron variant spreads, U.S. hospitals and health systems are urging patients and visitors to opt for medical-grade face masks instead of cloth versions.

4 most common symptoms of omicron variant
The four most common symptoms of the omicron variant are cough, fatigue, congestion and runny nose, according to a CDC analysis of the first 43 cases investigated in the U.S.

Physician happiness plunged during pandemic, survey finds
Physician happiness dropped significantly during the pandemic, with 26 percent of surveyed physicians saying they were unhappy compared with 9 percent before the public health crisis, according to the results of the "Medscape 2022 Physician Lifestyle and Happiness Report." 

29 best healthcare jobs, per US News: Nurse practitioner is No. 1
Nurse practitioner is the best healthcare job for 2022, with 114,900 projected jobs and a median salary of $111,680, according to a U.S. News & World Report list released Jan. 11.

4 leaders on the patient safety issue they'd fix overnight
Healthcare leaders are bringing renewed attention to patient safety issues that have been overshadowed by another year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

NP practice authority by state
Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia grant nurse practitioners full practice authority as soon as they earn their licenses, according to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

5 strategies to keep temporary nurses engaged
Amid an existing nursing workforce shortage exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, many hospitals and health systems have turned to travel nurse agencies to supplement the loss of full-time RNs.

2021

November/December 2021 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control 

Pandemic surgery delays exact an emotional toll, too, physicians say
As hospitals again pause nonemergency surgeries in response to surging COVID-19 patient volumes, healthcare leaders and physicians are closely watching what effect this will have on patients' health and healthcare experience.

NewYork-Presbyterian CXO Rick Evans: 7 principles to maintain relationships with our patients in a world of transactions
I've written in the past about how we need to reconcile the terms "patient" and "customer" in healthcare. There are segments of the healthcare community that still believe thinking of the people we serve as anything but patients diminishes the dignity of the patient-provider relationship.

AMA recognizes 44 systems for clinician burnout efforts
The American Medical Association honored 44 health systems for their efforts to support clinicians' well-being amid potential burnout. The organization unveiled the list in an Oct. 7 press release as recipients of the 2021 Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program.

The less-discussed consequence of healthcare's labor shortage
The healthcare industry's staffing shortage crisis has had clear consequences for care delivery and efficiency, forcing some health systems to pause nonemergency surgeries or temporarily close facilities. Less understood is how these shortages are affecting care quality and patient safety.

1 in 5 physicians has considered quitting their current job, survey finds
The Medscape Physician Nonclinical Careers Report 2021 published Oct. 8 found one in five physicians has considered leaving their current job to pursue nonclinical careers.

It's time to upgrade from cloth masks, experts say
Misinformation surrounding masking has turned the topic into a binary for Americans: either you're masked or not — but experts say the public needs to start paying attention to the quality of their masks. 

What researchers found reviewing 250,000 long COVID-19 cases
More than half of COVID-19 survivors experience at least one symptom six months or more after initially recovering from the illness, a systematic review involving 250,351 COVID-19 survivors found.

COVID-19 reinfection likely for unvaccinated, study suggests
New modeling estimates suggest natural immunity from a COVID-19 infection fades quickly, leaving individuals susceptible to reinfection, according to a study published Oct. 1 in The Lancet Microbe.

Healthcare safety scores fell amid pandemic, analysis shows
Safety performance declined across the entire healthcare industry in 2020, according to an analysis published Oct. 21 by Press Ganey.

CDC releases data on COVID-19 cases, deaths by vaccine type: 5 things to know
Unvaccinated people are about six times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 and 11 times more likely to die from the illness compared to people who are vaccinated, though there are slight differences in risk based on vaccine type, according to newly released CDC data.

2 EHR measures that can predict physician departures
Two key EHR use metrics can help flag which physicians are most likely to leave their position, according to a study published Oct. 12 in JAMA Network Open.

Epic's sepsis model used at 100+ hospitals has conflicting results: 6 things to know
A new study from researchers at Cleveland-based MetroHealth found that Epic's sepsis warning system, which is used at hundreds of U.S. hospitals and health systems, is associated with administering antibiotics faster, according to an Aug. 20 study published in Critical Care Medicine.

Overdose deaths at new high, CDC data show
More than 96,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending in March, marking a new record high, ​​according to preliminary CDC data released Oct. 13.

How Mayo Clinic uses data to improve surgical outcomes: 4 insights
Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic has developed an approach using clinical databases to improve surgical outcomes that can be applied at other hospitals, according to a Sept. 30 Harvard Business Review report.

September/October 2021 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control 

Physician lives at Tennessee hospital to be available around the clock
Big South Fork Medical Center in Oneida, Tenn., is one of dozens of rural hospitals across the country struggling to keep its doors open.

6 notes on long COVID-19 in children
While many studies have focused on the prevalence of long COVID-19 among adults, with estimates indicating between 10 percent and 30 percent of COVID-19 patients affected by lingering symptoms, not as much research has focused on how it affects children who have had the virus.

When a nursing shortage and COVID-19 collide: How 4 CNOs are responding
Ask any nursing leader about their greatest challenge and they'll likely point to staffing. If hospitals weren't already feeling the effects of a severe nursing shortage, a nationwide rise in hospitalizations fueled by the highly contagious COVID-19 delta variant has made the effects of it unmistakable.

New OSHA standard puts healthcare on same page, 'makes our staff safer,' Stanford, Geisinger say
During the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. hospitals and health systems have focused on protocols to keep workers safe. Now, new federal COVID-19 workplace safety rules have set a protection standard industrywide.

How Henry Ford Health System is handling pushback on vaccine mandate
As more hospitals and health systems make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for employees, they are addressing concerns from unvaccinated workers, while navigating the pandemic's trajectory and a delta variant that is spreading. Here, Bob Riney, president of healthcare operations and COO of Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System, discusses how the system is approaching its mandate and offers advice to peers related to enforcement.

Nurse practitioners most recruited providers for first time in 28 years, report finds
Nurse practitioners have replaced physicians at the top of Merritt Hawkins' list of most recruited providers.

Don't let the term 'elective' fool you, physicians urge the public
As a growing number of hospitals pressed for resources due to the COVID-19 surge suspend elective surgeries, some healthcare professionals want the public to know exactly how important an "elective" procedure can be.

Heal first, then vaccinate: How 9 systems are connecting COVID-19 survivors with the vaccine
Anecdotal reports from physicians on the front lines of the latest COVID-19 surge suggest disbelief, shame and fear are common emotions among many unvaccinated patients who contract the virus and need to be hospitalized.

HHS slates $103M to address healthcare workers' mental well-being
Healthcare organizations have until Aug. 30 to apply for American Rescue Plan funding intended to reduce burnout and promote mental health among healthcare workers, HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration said July 16.

3 areas where hospitals can improve patient experience: Leapfrog
Many adult patients may not fully understand their care plans after they are discharged from the hospital, according to The Leapfrog Group's Patient Experience Report released July 8.

7 stats on physician burnout amid COVID-19
Sixty-one percent of physicians reported experiencing burnout in 2021, up from 40 percent in 2018, according to a small survey the Physicians Foundation released Aug. 4. 

The No. 1 hospital in each state for 2021-22
U.S. News & World Report recently released its 2021-22 rankings for the top hospitals in the U.S.

Most nurses vaccinated, support mandates: 8 ANA survey findings
About 88 percent of surveyed U.S. nurses are vaccinated against COVID-19, or plan to be vaccinated, according to survey findings from the American Nurses Association published Aug. 18.

37 states where nurses can earn a multistate license
Thirty-seven states have joined the Nurse Licensure Compact, which allows registered nurses and licensed practical/vocational nurses to practice in person or via telehealth in all participating states under one multistate license.

July/August 2021 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control 

A secondhand crisis is spotlighting physicians' role as bearers of bad news
"You have cancer." For Pam Khosla, MD, decades of experience don't ease the burden that comes with saying those words.

How Atrium, Ochsner and 4 more systems are deciding to unmask patients and staff
As businesses lift mask mandates for fully vaccinated consumers, the healthcare industry has been untouched. As COVID-19 infection rates drop and vaccinations plateau, hospital leaders are determining what their mask mandates' next move is.

Did the pandemic stamp out nurse bullying? Not quite, 2 CNOs say
Ask any healthcare leader to name a point of pride during the pandemic, and many will likely say the immense collaboration, teamwork and support that emerged among front-line caregivers and clinical teams.

13 states skipped infection control surveys during pandemic, inspector general finds
Thirteen states ignored CMS recommendations and did not perform targeted infection control surveys to prepare for COVID-19 patients last year, HHS' Office of Inspector General said in a June 28 report.

The severe condition surfacing among some COVID-19 long-haulers
A little-known yet serious autonomic nervous system disorder is surfacing among an unknown number of COVID-19 long-haulers, or people who experience persistent or worsening symptoms long after the infection has cleared, Kaiser Health News reported June 1.

10 CNOs on the 1 word they’d use to describe their teams
In recognition of National Nurses Week, Becker's asked 10 chief nursing officers or nurse executives from health systems nationwide to share the one word they'd use to describe their nursing team over the past year.

Hospital leaders are losing physician trust — here's 4 tips to change that
Nearly a third of physicians lost trust in their hospital's organizational leadership during the pandemic. A 15-year study of 3,200 leaders found four ways for CEOs to earn and retain trust from their staff, according to a June 11 report by Harvard Business Review.

How Scripps, UCLA Health nipped spread of deadly fungus at start of pandemic
Two healthcare organizations in Southern California implemented comprehensive efforts to prevent the spread of a deadly fungus amid the early days of the pandemic, according to two case studies presented June 29 at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology's virtual annual conference.

Unvaccinated MetroHealth staff must take weekly COVID-19 tests
Employees at Cleveland-based MetroHealth who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 will be required to undergo weekly coronavirus testing, the health system said.

1 in 7 COVID-19 patients require care for new condition after infection
About 1 in 7 adults with COVID-19 developed a new health issue that required medical care after recovering from the virus last year, according to a study published May 19 in The BMJ.

Joint Commission: Top 5 most challenging requirements for hospitals in 2020
The Joint Commission has collected data on compliance with standards, National Patient Safety Goals, and Accreditation and Certification Participation Requirements to identify trends surrounding challenging requirements.

America's physician shortage could hit 124,000 in 13 years
The U.S. could face a shortage of 37,800 to 124,000 physicians by 2034, according to new data released June 11 from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

How CMS ranked US News' 20 Honor Roll hospitals
CMS updated its Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings April 28, and 11 of U.S. News & World Report's 2020-21 20 Honor Roll hospitals received a five-star rating.

'Gone are the days when organizations can just offer bonuses': How to competitively recruit, retain nurses
As the nation grapples with a nurse shortage heightened by the pandemic, healthcare organizations are struggling to recruit and retain nurses.

May/June 2021 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control 

Why demand for physician leaders is growing
As a practicing OB-GYN in the 1980s, Lawrence Antonucci, MD, didn't necessarily aspire to become CEO of a health system.

How's Houston Methodist's vaccine mandate so far? 'Very successful,' says CEO Dr. Marc Boom
Houston Methodist managers had a deadline of April 15 to receive at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the system's mandate. The numbers are in: 99.4 percent of the management team has complied.

10 top patient safety concerns for 2021, ranked by ECRI
Racial disparities in health and healthcare earned the No. 1 spot on ECRI's list of the top 10 patient safety concerns for 2021.

6 quality leaders on the safety issues they're prioritizing in 2021
In recognition of Patient Safety Awareness Week, Becker's asked six hospital and health system quality leaders to share the patient safety issues they are prioritizing this spring and beyond.

How Ochsner Health achieved zero COVID-19 deaths among nurses: Tracey Moffatt, CNO
New Orleans-based Ochsner Health hasn't reported any COVID-19 deaths for its nursing staff across the entire system.

Northwell Health launches mental health center for employees, community
New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health has established the virtual Center for Traumatic Stress, Resilience and Recovery to address mental health needs of its 76,000 employees, their families and community members, the health system said April 14.

COVID-19 vaccine side effects and transmission: 4 Qs, answered
Vaccine small talk has trickled into Americans' daily conversations now that 33 percent of adults have received their first dose.

Why next flu season may be severe
Low levels of flu activity amid the COVID-19 pandemic have made it more challenging for experts developing next year's flu shot to predict which strains will predominate next winter, reports Politico.

CDC: mRNA vaccines reduce infection by 90% among healthcare workers
The messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were 90 percent effective at preventing COVID-19 infections in real-world settings, according to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published March 29.

Northwestern performs 1st 'COVID to COVID' double-lung transplant
Surgeons at Northwestern Medicine performed one of the nation's first known "COVID to COVID" double-lung transplants on a COVID-19 patient, the Chicago-based health system said this month.

UK variant more transmissible, not deadlier, study finds
The B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant, which first emerged in the U.K. and is now the dominant strain in the U.S., is more contagious, though not tied to higher death rates or worse outcomes, compared to older strains, according to a study published April 12 in The Lancet.

1 in 10 Black patients faces discrimination from healthcare staff
Nearly 11 percent of Black patients say they've experienced discrimination by a healthcare provider or their staff, according to an April 5 analysis from Urban Institute, a left-leaning think tank.

8 key COVID-19 vaccine administration errors
Administering a dose other than the one authorized by the FDA and administering a dose to someone too young are the main COVID-19 vaccine administration errors that occurred in the past four months, according to a report released April 22 by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices.

How clinicians can combat anti-Asian racism: 3 takeaways
The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred an alarming jump in racial descrimination and violence against Asian Americans that physicians must address by tailoring their care practices, James Lee, MD, wrote in a commentary published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

March/April 2021 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control 

Why side effects are more common with 2nd COVID-19 shot: 5 notes
Side effects appear to be more common after the second dose for both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

10 best paying locations for nurses
The median salary for registered nurses in the U.S. was $73,300 in 2019, according to U.S. News & World Report.

NewYork-Presbyterian CXO Rick Evans: How do you maintain patient experience during the pandemic?
It is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged healthcare in almost every conceivable way. It has had a powerful impact on the key metrics of any healthcare organization. Quality, financial, employee engagement and patient experience metrics have all been affected in ways we are still trying to understand.

How 3 health systems are handling discharges during the pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced healthcare leaders nationwide to rethink how their organizations approach safe discharges, as virus-related visitor restrictions mean many family members cannot be at the patient's bedside to hear discharge instructions.

Cedars-Sinai opens COVID-19 recovery program
Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai Medical Group launched a COVID-19 Recovery Program to treat patients cleared of the novel virus who still have lingering symptoms weeks or months later, according to a Jan. 26 news release.

Johns Hopkins shares proposal for equitable vaccine distribution
Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University has released a proposal meant to guide officials working to advance equity in the COVID-19 vaccination rollout.

Physician viewpoint: Hospital-acquired COVID-19 is rampant, but facilities aren't sounding the alarm
Hospitals must adopt rapid, frequent COVID-19 testing for staff to protect patients from hospital-acquired COVID-19, Manoj Jain, MD, an infectious disease consultant for several hospitals in Memphis, Tenn., wrote in a Jan. 21 op-ed published in The Washington Post.

Focus on COVID-19 facilitated spread of drug-resistant infections, experts say
The reuse of personal protective equipment in healthcare settings amid COVID-19 likely allowed drug-resistant infections to spread easier, The New York Times reported Jan. 27.

Physicians see spike in rare inflammatory condition linked to COVID-19
Physicians are reporting a significant uptick in cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, a rare inflammatory condition potentially linked to COVID-19, reports The New York Times.

Current systolic blood pressure guideline too high for women, study suggests
Women have a lower normal blood pressure range than men, according to new research from the Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute in Los Angeles. Current blood pressure guidelines do not account for these differences and therefore may put women at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, researchers said.

COVID-19 might be triggering new-onset diabetes, researchers say
New-onset diabetes could be another complication added to the list of health problems associated with COVID-19, The Washington Post reported Feb. 1.

Woman dies 2 months after contracting COVID-19 from donor lungs
A woman with chronic obstructive lung disease contracted COVID-19 from a pair of donor lungs and died 61 days after the transplant — the first confirmed donor-to-recipient transmission of COVID-19 in the U.S., according to a case report published Feb. 10 in the American Journal of Transplantation.

Widow inspires Renown Health hospitals to lift visitor restrictions for COVID-19 patients
Reno, Nev.-based Renown Health said it has lifted visitor restrictions and is encouraging limited visitors for patients, including those with COVID-19.

14 health systems team up on 'ethical innovation' with launch of provider-led data platform
Fourteen health systems, including Trinity Health, Northwell Health and Tenet Health, are partnering to create a comprehensive, de-identified data platform that will glean more robust insights on medical conditions such as rare diseases and COVID-19.

Physician viewpoint: Hospital-acquired COVID-19 is rampant, but facilities aren't sounding the alarm
Hospitals must adopt rapid, frequent COVID-19 testing for staff to protect patients from hospital-acquired COVID-19, Manoj Jain, MD, an infectious disease consultant for several hospitals in Memphis, Tenn., wrote in a Jan. 21 op-ed published in The Washington Post.

January/February 2021 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control 

The evolution of COVID-19: 4 leaders talk symptoms, treatment & clinical trends
As the U.S. enters winter, four clinical leaders reflected on COVID-19 patients, symptoms and clinical trends.

From the COVID-19 front lines: What healthcare workers want their leaders to know
During the pandemic, healthcare workers have been on the front lines providing care to patients with and without the virus. They have shown up ready to work, while navigating changing state and federal guidelines, as well as concerns about getting sick or infecting their loved ones.

Safeguarding nurses' well-being is 'nonnegotiable': 6 leaders on supporting nurses through COVID-19 + beyond
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented health systems with the ultimate balancing act: Care for an influx of patients and ensure nurses and front-line staff are adequately supported, all amid staffing and personal protective equipment shortages.

COVID-19 pandemic 'not necessarily the big one,' top WHO official says
COVID-19 has infected at least 81 million people and killed more than 1.7 million worldwide. While the toll of this pandemic has been severe, it is "not necessarily the big one," a top World Health Organization official warned this week, according to The New York Times.

Clinical priorities and predictions for 2021: 4 CMOs weigh in
Becker's talked to four clinical leaders about priorities, expectations and predictions for the upcoming year.

Staff meal breaks in the COVID-19 era: How 5 systems are limiting infection risks
Meal breaks offer healthcare workers crucial time to eat and reenergize amid a hectic shift. But in the era of COVID-19, meal breaks may also pose an infection risk, as staff members must take their masks or respirators off to eat. Break room or cafeteria space may also be limited, making it difficult for employees to maintain appropriate social distancing.

10 top patient safety issues for 2021
The Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control editorial team chose the following 10 patient safety issues for healthcare leaders to prioritize in 2021, presented below in no particular order, based on news, study findings and trends reported in the past year.

Healthcare-associated infections on rise amid pandemic, experts say
Many infection preventionists said they've seen an uptick in healthcare-associated infections at their facilities since the pandemic's start, according to a Dec. 3 survey from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

5 things we still don't know about COVID-19
Scientists have already learned an extraordinary amount about COVID-19 in the one year since its emergence, but there's still a lot we don't know.

Racial bias in pulse oximeters may put Black patients at risk
Pulse oximeters were more often less reliable in Black patients than white patients, according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine Dec.17.

Where are the 29 Leapfrog straight-'A' hospitals?
The Leapfrog Group released its fall 2020 Hospital Safety Grades Dec. 14, assigning "A" through "F" letter grades to more than 2,600 acute care hospitals for patient safety performance.

How Providence will bring remote employees back to the office post-COVID
As COVID-19 spread across the U.S. early this year, hospitals and health systems adjusted their workforce. Many administrative workers who could work from home were instructed to do so, and they have remained remote.

COVID-19 viral load could help physicians predict illness severity
COVID-19 viral loads could be a useful indicator of which patients may need higher levels of care, The New York Times reports.

Beaumont adds 3 physicians to board after negative staff surveys
Southfield, Mich.-based Beaumont Health has added three physicians to its board of directors.

2020

November/December 2020 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

'Post-COVID' clinics gain traction among health systems
A small but growing number of health systems are launching dedicated clinics or programs for COVID-19 patients with lingering symptoms, reports Kaiser Health News.

Boston Children's Hospital to end 2 intersex surgeries
Boston Children's Hospital will no longer perform two types of genital surgeries on intersex children if they are too young to meaningfully consent, reports The 19th News.

NewYork-Presbyterian CXO Rick Evans: Climbing over the pandemic wall will require changing healthcare's 'suck-it-up' culture
As we transition to autumn here in New York City, we are entering a new phase of living with the pandemic and addressing its effects on our patients and staff.

Nurses, CNAs made up 36% of healthcare workers hospitalized with COVID-19 this spring, analysis finds
More than a third of healthcare workers hospitalized with COVID-19 from March to May were in nursing-related positions, representing the highest proportion of healthcare workers in the hospital with the illness, according to a new CDC analysis.

Massachusetts hospital COVID-19 outbreak may be tied to employees eating together
An outbreak of COVID-19 cases among Holyoke (Mass.) Medical Center employees is believed to be linked to staff members eating together while on break, TV station WWLP reported.

10 healthcare execs share predictions for nursing in the next 5 years
The pandemic put nurses on the front lines of the battle against COVID-19 and caused shifts in the way they provide care.

How hospitals can boost employee morale this winter
As environmental services workers get ready for their shifts at Salem (Ore.) Health, they take a moment to engage in positivity. They get sticky notes and pens, write down celebratory moments and put the notes on a wall in their break room.

CDC launches $180M infection control training program
The CDC unveiled a national infection control training initiative Oct. 28 known as Project Firstline to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases in healthcare settings.

'Shut it down': Virginia hospital under investigation isn't safe, nurse says
A registered nurse who formerly worked at Cumberland Hospital for Children and Adolescents in New Kent, Va., is calling for it to be shut down after she said she witnessed child abuse at the facility, according to CBS 6.

7 patient safety goals for 2021 from Joint Commission
The Joint Commission recently shared seven patient safety goals for hospitals to focus on in 2021.

Cleveland's University Hospitals offering sleep pods for front-line COVID-19 workers
Cleveland-based University Hospitals will offer sleep pods for front-line workers as part of a 10-month pilot program with HOHM during the COVID-19 pandemic, the health system announced Oct. 12.

RWJBarnabas to screen all patients for social determinants of health
West Orange, N.J.-based RWJBarnabas Health has launched a universal social determinants of health program to regularly screen patients for factors that may contribute to chronic disease.

Hospital deaths 5 times higher for COVID-19 than flu, CDC finds
Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are at a higher risk for death and health complications than those hospitalized with influenza, according to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published Oct. 20.

CMS fines 2,545 hospitals for high readmissions: 5 things to know
In fiscal year 2021, CMS will penalize 2,545 hospitals for having too many Medicare patients readmitted within 30 days, according to federal data cited by Kaiser Health News.

September/October 2020 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

Level-up the patient experience with cultural sensitivity and empathy: 4 tactics from Sinai Health's Dr. Airica Steed
The patient experience is an important aspect of healthcare delivery and it takes a complete culture shift for organizations to truly put the patient first in all processes and touchpoints. But the shift is necessary to improve quality and perception of care.

7 most common sentinel events this year
Care management incidents were the most common type of sentinel event reported in the first half of 2020, according to data The Joint Commission released Aug. 12.

Advocate Aurora CNO Adrienne Schultz on her healthcare inspirations, the challenges of being a female leader and striking a work-life balance
Adrienne Schultz, MSN, RN, is relatively new to her position as vice president and CNO of Cudahy, Wis.-based Advocate Aurora St. Luke's South Shore, a role which she began in July. However, she brought with her more than 25 years of healthcare leadership experience.

NewYork-Presbyterian CXO Rick Evans: How will we rebuild trust with patients now and after COVID-19?
In New York City, the summer has brought a strange and unfamiliar mix of both relief and anxiety.

'I'm fighting a war against COVID-19 and a war against stupidity,' says CMO of Houston hospital
After two hours of sleep a night for four months and seeing a member of his team contract the virus, Joseph Varon, MD, is growing exasperated.

6 potential long-term side effects of COVID-19
Researchers "don't yet fully appreciate" what happens after a patient recovers from a serious case of COVID-19, said Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as reported by CNN.

Physician viewpoint: COVID-19 visitor restrictions may hurt more than they help
Visitor restrictions intended to limit the spread of COVID-19 in hospitals could "inadvertently harm patients more than the virus itself," two physician leaders wrote in an op-ed for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

How the pandemic is affecting HAI rates
Early data from two hospitals in New York City and St. Louis suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic will cause an uptick in some healthcare-associated infections, researchers wrote in a commentary published in the American Journal of Infection Control.

Polio-like condition in kids likely to spike this fall, CDC warns
Based on previous trends, cases of acute flaccid myelitis, a polio-like condition in children, may spike in the U.S. between August and November, a new CDC report shows.

HCA hospital staff link patient death to understaffing
A patient at North Suburban Medical Center died in May after staff members failed to change the battery on the individual's pulse oximeter in a timely manner, according to a state inspection report cited by The Denver Post.

4 common pitfalls to avoid after a medical error
How healthcare organizations respond to medical errors has greatly evolved in the last few decades. Transparency and accountability have emerged as key tenets of this process, aligned with hospitals' efforts to build a culture of safety and continual clinical improvement.

The top-rated hospitals for patient experience, state-by-state
Using the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems scores from CMS, Becker's has compiled a list of the best hospitals for patient experience in each state. Hospitals either received five or four patient summary star ratings.

AMA: 15 steps to care for healthcare workers before, during and after crisis
While a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic or a natural disaster will inevitably cause stressors for physicians and other health professionals, there are steps organizations can take to promote workforce well-being before, during and after such events, according to the American Medical Association.

How US News' top 10 hospitals are addressing health disparities
The COVID-19 pandemic and deaths of Black Americans such as George Floyd have spurred many health systems to take increased focus on addressing systemic racism and health disparities. As a result, organizations are implementing various initiatives, from outreach programs to education to recruiting a chief diversity officer.

CRNA salary by state
The average salary for certified registered nurse anesthetists in the U.S. is $181,040, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment Statistics survey May 2019, the most recent data available.

July/August 2020 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

Viewpoint: Hospital leadership is a bigger threat to nurses than COVID-19
The lack of support from hospital leadership is more dangerous for nurses working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic than the virus itself, a nurse wrote in an opinion piece for STAT News.

Where are the 32 'straight-A' Leapfrog hospitals?
The Leapfrog Group released its spring 2020 Hospital Safety Grades April 30, assigning "A" through "F" letter grades to more than 2,600 acute care hospitals for patient safety performance.

AdventHealth CMO Dr. Omayra Mansfield on creating joy amid COVID-19
Omayra Mansfield, MD, was having a particularly hard day amid the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. Driving home from work, the despair overwhelmed her, so she paused and decided when she got home, she would create a moment of joy by jumping into her pool fully clothed to surprise her children.

What it takes to be a clinical leader during the pandemic: key insights from CNO Lisa Oldham
Lisa Oldham, CNO and Vice President of Patient Care Services at Orange Regional Medical Center in Middletown, N.Y., has tenure in nurse leadership and witnessed how the Covid-19 pandemic brought her teams of nurses together during a time of critical need.

Lingering COVID-19 symptoms stump physicians
Some COVID-19 patients continue to experience symptoms of the disease weeks and months after being diagnosed, particularly in cases where the disease does not become severe enough to require hospital admission, and physicians are trying to figure out why, NBC News reports.

Behind every RN is a nurse manager: 4 tips for these leaders during the pandemic
The nurse manager role is challenging on a normal day, let alone during a pandemic when leading a newly created unit with a team of employees reassigned from other parts of a hospital that is flooded with gravely ill COVID-19 patients.

6 ways hospitals can prepare for another COVID-19 wave
The pandemic's first wave, which is still hitting hard in some areas, has provided valuable lessons for hospitals to refine their processes and improve preparedness if another wave occurs, according to ProPublica.

COVID-19 will circulate for decades, experts predict
COVID-19 will likely persist for decades, even after a vaccine is created and widely disseminated, experts told The Washington Post.

8 ways to boost vaccination rates amid the pandemic
The CDC is calling on clinicians to help boost U.S. vaccination rates for flu and other diseases, which have dropped during the pandemic, according to the American Medical Association.

Moving toward a 'new normal': How hospitals are convincing patients it's safe to come back
Toward the end of April and in May, states lifted restrictions on healthcare operations in place since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, hospitals are faced with the challenge of encouraging patients to seek care in places they previously were told to avoid and making sure they feel safe when doing so.

How to drive compassion in the patient experience: 4 insights on 'never events' from CareMount Medical's Kevin Conroy
From patient communication gaps to questioning their perceptions of care, hospitals and health systems should consider eliminating various "never events" to enhance their overall patient experience, according to Kevin Conroy, chief population health officer of CareMount Medical.

The nation’s most, least patient-recommended hospitals
The following hospitals were the top patient-recommended hospitals in the country, according to updated HCAHPS scores. Pennsylvania had four highly recommended hospitals, more than any other state.

Racial disparities & COVID-19: Why it matters in healthcare
Racial disparities in the U.S. affect every aspect of life, including healthcare. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals of color have been disproportionately affected by the virus. Below are eight key findings revealing the connection between race and healthcare.

27 nurses share their best tips for self-care during the COVID-19 pandemic
As the pandemic rages on, the nurse community is at the forefront of the crisis, putting their physical and mental health at risk.

May/June 2020 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control 

'This is healthcare's Amazon moment': Dr. Stephen Klasko's 5 predictions on healthcare delivery post-COVID-19
Health systems have accelerated their digital health, telehealth and virtual care capabilities in the past 30 days forcing them to disrupt themselves, says Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health President and CEO Stephen Klasko, MD.

Top 10 patient safety concerns of 2020 from ECRI Institute
Diagnostic errors and maternal health issues are the top two patient safety concerns for healthcare organizations in 2020, as ranked by patient safety organization ECRI Institute.

The 2 traits leaders need to always make the right decision from Memorial Hermann's quality chief Dr. Angela Shippy
Angela Shippy, MD, stepped into her expanded role as senior vice president and chief medical and quality officer of Houston-based Memorial Hermann Health System in February.

'COVID-19 doesn't respect silos and neither should we': Nuvance Health's CXO on patient experience during the pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic may result in lasting changes to public and private healthcare, including changes to the patient and caregiver experience arenas. Amid the crisis, healthcare organizations have had to be quick on their feet to overcome myriad clinical and operational challenges thrown at them, all while ensuring the well-being of their patients and clinicians.

58 hospitals with the nation's best CAUTI rates
The following hospitals had the lowest rates of catheter-associated urinary tract infections in the U.S., according to data from CMS' Hospital Compare website.

The victory playlist: Songs hospitals play to celebrate COVID-19 wins
Hospitals across the country are burdened by the COVID-19 pandemic, often in extreme and unexpected ways, but that doesn't mean they aren't counting their wins.

COVID-19 is 13 times deadlier than flu, study suggests
COVID-19 may kill about 1.3 percent of symptomatic patients, an infection fatality rate that is 13 times higher than the flu, according to a peer-reviewed study slated for publication in Health Affairs.

N95 masks can only be decontaminated, reworn 2 or 3 times safely, study shows
A National Institutes of Health study shows that N95 masks can be decontaminated and reused safely only two or three times, according to MedPage Today.

There are limits to coronavirus antibody testing, AMA warns
Physicians and the general public should be cautious about the use of antibody testing for identifying previous COVID-19 infections, and they should especially be cautious of using the tests to determine if a person is immune to the new coronavirus, the American Medical Association warned.

COVID-19 patients face many obstacles after ICU stay
Hundreds of thousands of Americans may struggle with the physical and psychological effects of a long-term intensive care unit stay once the COVID-19 pandemic is over, reports The Washington Post.

47 practices for safer care from AHRQ
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality outlines 47 practices healthcare providers can adopt or refine to improve patient safety in a new report.

Helping people feel whole: AdventHealth CEO Terry Shaw on why the system screens for spiritual well-being
In 2018, Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth launched an outpatient program that screens patients to assess their personal sense of love, joy and peace in their lives. The program, called clinical mission integration, aims to address patients' care needs beyond just the physical element.

5 insights from a hospital that's treated 3,500+ COVID-19 patients
Three emergency physicians from Stony Brook (N.Y.) University Hospital outlined their experience on the front lines of the pandemic in an April 13 entry for The New England Journal of Medicine's COVID-19 Notes series.

Recovery guidelines vary widely for COVID-19 patients
Protocols for when recovered COVID-19 patients can end self-quarantine and resume normal activities differ greatly across the U.S. and other countries, reports The Wall Street Journal.

March/April 2020 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

2 patient experience strategies separating front-runners from the pack
As a whole, the healthcare industry is making gains in patient experience. But that doesn't mean health systems can rest on their laurels, according to Thomas Lee, MD, CMO of Press Ganey.

Healthgrades' best 50 US hospitals for 2020
Healthgrades has released its America's Best Hospitals rankings for 2020. Three lists feature America's 50, 100 and 250 best hospitals, which represent the top 1, 2 and 5 percent of hospitals in the nation, respectively. To compile the lists, Healthgrades analyzed the performance of nearly 4,500 U.S. hospitals in treating 32 conditions and procedures, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and sepsis.

Prioritize nurses and your health system will succeed, MUSC's CNO says
Patti Hart, DNP, MSN, RN, is the chief nursing officer of  Medical University of South Carolina Health's Charleston division, which includes MUSC Health University Medical Center.

'Hope for the best, prepare for the worst': UNMC infection control chief talks coronavirus
Mark Rupp, MD, chief of the infectious disease division and medical director of infection control and epidemiology at Omaha-based University of Nebraska Medical Center, discussed the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak with Becker's.

37 hospitals patients are most, least likely to recommended
Harvard Medical School's COVID-19 Health Literacy Project has translated essential information about COVID-19, including prevention and potential treatments, into 37 languages to reduce the risk of infection for non-English speakers in the U.S., STAT reports.

9 nurses reflect on their most memorable workdays
We invite all nurses and nursing leaders currently working in healthcare settings to participate in a series of Q&As about their experiences.

Viewpoint: Time to rethink mandatory patient hospital gowns
While patient hospital gowns serve a number of practical purposes, the psychological effects of donning them may be more harmful than good, a physician argues in an opinion piece in The New York Times.

WHO: World is ‘dangerously’ unprepared for next pandemic
The head of the World Health Organization said the world may be "dangerously" unprepared for a disease pandemic at an executive board meeting Feb. 3, reports CNBC.

24 hospitals with highest, lowest post-op sepsis rates
The following hospitals had the highest and lowest rates of bloodstream infections after surgery in the U.S. The figures are taken from the "Complications and Deaths - Hospital'' report on CMS' Hospital Compare website. Scores were collected from July 2016 through June 2018, the most recent data available.

Hospitality trumps care quality in patient surveys
Neither care quality nor patient survival rates have a significant effect on patient satisfaction ratings, according to a study published in the journal Social Forces.

Fewer adults are using primary care
Americans are visiting primary care physicians far less often than they did a decade ago, according to a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

10 common medication errors to address in 2020
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices on Jan. 16 shared 10 common medication errors and hazards healthcare providers should work to address in 2020.

Hospital groups call out CMS over star ratings update
CMS' updated its Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings Jan. 28 with its existing methodology, a move several hospital groups have expressed their discontent with.

Fitbits could be used to predict oncoming flu outbreaks
Information tracked by wearable sensors, such as Fitbits, could be used to improve flu surveillance and prevent outbreaks, according to a study published Jan. 16 in The Lancet.

Texas Health Resources rolls out digital rounding tool for nurses
Nurse managers at Arlington-based Texas Health Resources will start using a new digital rounding tool this month to help improve patients' hospital experience, reports the Cleburne Times-Review.

January/February 2020 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

7 leaders on the patient safety issue they'd fix overnight
Throughout 2019, Becker's asked numerous clinical leaders the following question: "If you could fix one patient safety issue overnight, what would it be and why?"

Why storytelling is a key part of Sutter Health's safety work
William Isenberg, MD, PhD, vice president of patient safety at Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health, credits some of the system's success with its safety work to what some might see as an unconventional workplace practice: storytelling.

The 3 superbugs most associated with HAIs
Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella are the antibiotic-resistant pathogens most commonly associated with healthcare-associated infections, according to a study published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

From appetizer to main course: How HonorHealth is taking HAI reduction to a new level
Scottsdale, Ariz.-based HonorHealth has a lot to be proud of on the quality improvement front, achieving a nearly 40 percent drop in patient harm events in just four years.

How Jefferson Health is promoting nurse safety with a new alert system
Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health has partnered with the healthcare technology start-up Strongline to develop an easier way for nurses and other hospital staff to call for help during potentially dangerous situations. The Strongline Staff Safety System features Bluetooth-enabled ID badges with built-in alert buttons clinicians can discreetly press during emergencies.

Hospital acquisitions hurt patient experience, study suggests
Hospital acquisitions are linked to worse patient experience and do not improve care quality, suggest the findings of a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

8 clinical leaders share tips for improving the patient experience
Improving patient experience remains a key priority at hospitals and health systems, as it affects every aspect of the organization. Becker's Hospital Review asked clinical leaders to share action steps team members can take daily to improve the patient experience. Read their responses below, presented alphabetically.

Northwell pilots black boxes in ORs
New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health is piloting the use of black-box technology in its operating rooms to collect more information during surgical procedures and improve care quality. Laparoscopic urologic and colon surgical teams are currently using the OR Black Box technology in two ORs at Northwell's Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York City.

Mount Sinai's ED is a 'war zone,' nurse says
Current and former Mount Sinai Hospital employees said staffing shortages and high patient volumes are creating serious patient safety issues in its emergency department, which one nurse called "a war zone," reports the New York Post.

1st death from a fecal transplant was at Massachusetts General Hospital
The first death from a fecal transplant occurred during a clinical trial run by Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital, according to new details published Oct. 30 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

13 questions physicians want patients to ask
"Nobody has healthcare figured out." It's a line spoken often in the Becker's Healthcare newsroom and encouragement for our reporters to ask the next question, talk to more people, find a new perspective and explore the bigger picture.

Customer satisfaction in hospitals drops 5%: report
Though U.S. consumers grew more satisfied with the health insurance industry in 2019, according to a new report from the American Customer Satisfaction Index, satisfaction in hospitals saw a major drop, making it one of the worst sectors measured.

What millennials' lunch breaks reveal about their expectations for medical appointments
The ultra-efficient workday lunch break is nothing new, but millennials have taken this efficiency to ever more "joyless, ruthless" levels, CityLab reports, highlighting the generation's tendency toward total optimization at the expense of human interaction.

CDC: 35,000 people die from drug-resistant infections annually
More than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur annually in the U.S., according to the CDC's 2019 Antibiotic Resistance Threats report published Nov. 13.

Leapfrog names 2019 Top Hospitals
The Leapfrog Group recognized 120 hospitals nationwide with its 2019 Top Hospitals award Dec. 17. To compile the list, The Leapfrog Group analyzed self-reported data from its annual hospital survey, which compares hospitals' performance on national patient safety, quality, efficiency and management standards.

2019

November/December Clinical Leadership & Infection Control Issue

Ballad Health implements safety changes after fatal patient drop

A man who died in 2018 after being dropped in the operating room has led to immediate and long-term improvements at Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health, according to WJHL.

Northwell launches app to schedule at-home blood work

New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health announced on Oct. 8 the launch of LabFly, a mobile app through which patients can schedule blood tests in their homes or at work.

Consumerism is 2^nd biggest challenge facing healthcare execs in 2020

Perfecting the consumer experience is one of the most pressing tasks on healthcare leaders' to-do lists in 2020, according to the HealthCare Executive Group's annual "Top 10" list of the primary opportunities and challenges facing its members.

Why clinicians should stop ordering so many urine tests

Many physicians order urine tests out of habit, not necessity, which can contribute to antibiotic overuse, according to The New York Times.

CMS penalizes 2,583 hospitals for high readmissions

In fiscal year 2020, CMS will penalize 2,583 hospitals for having too many Medicare patients readmitted within 30 days, according to federal data released Sept. 30 cited in a Kaiser Health News report.

What health systems can learn from airplane flight crews

Crew resource management, an aviation strategy that can be adapted to healthcare settings, helps reduce adverse events and results in cost savings, according to a study published in American Journal of Medical Quality.

Geisinger taps IBM for AI-based sepsis prevention

Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger Health System and the IBM Data Science Elite team announced Sept. 10 a collaboration to develop an artificial intelligence model to detect sepsis mortality risk.

14 hospitals with the most ER visits

Here are the 14 hospitals in America with the most annual emergency room visits for 2018. Totals represent the amount of emergency room visits tallied for a single facility, rather than total ER visits for a whole health system.

NorthShore’s quality chief on the 2 most important safety issues to fix in healthcare

October marks the three-year anniversary of Lakshmi Halasyamani, MD, stepping into her role as chief quality and transformation officer at Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore University HealthSystem.

Why UCSF Health’s patient initiatives don’t feel like the flavor of the month

Susan Pappas, division director, UCSF Health experience excellence at University of California San Francisco Health, discusses the importance of being able to scale experience initiatives, the benefits of adopting Lean philosophy and why excellent patient experience requires commitment from the entire organization.

Flu shot may offer limited protection this season

This season's flu shot may offer limited protection since two of the four strains included in the vaccine do not match the most dominant strains seen in the Southern Hemisphere's flu season, which ended in September, according to STAT.

1 in 6 physicians make diagnostic errors every day

One in six physicians report making diagnostic errors daily, according to a Medscape poll.

Top 10 health technology hazards for 2020

The ECRI Institute released its Top 10 Health Technology Hazards 2020 report for hospitals, medical practices and homecare providers.

NYU Langone Health taps Amazon, Google tactic for quality improvement

NYU Langone Health in New York City successfully used randomized quality improvement projects to evaluate the effectiveness of routine patient care processes.

September / October Clinical Leadership & Infection Control Issue

How UTMC is tackling hand hygiene with a new compliance system

What keeps IU Health's VP of quality, safety and performance improvement up at night

Stop chasing CHAHPS scores: How hospitals can get more strategic about patient experience

CMS to update star ratings methodology in 2021

How UVA Health System is reducing unnecessary testing

Preventable harm affects 1 in 20 patients

What Northwell Health's got cooking to create rave patient reviews 

July / August Clinical Leadership & Infection Control Issue

‘Beyond horrifying’: Cardiologists warned UNC; Healthcare professionals tune out messages to wash their hands; 6 insights into endoscope reprocessing and how to ensure guideline adherence; Training lapses may have led to rise in C. diff infections at VA hospital; How 1 health system saved $515K with antiseptic bathing; MD Anderson patient died after contaminated blood transfusion, CMS says; Nurse understaffing linked to higher HAI risk; Over 60 patients allege sterilization negligence at Porter Adventist Hospital; Why zero harm is a realistic goal for every hospital; Pennsylvania hospital cited over 2 patient care incidents; Nurses raise patient safety concerns at U of Chicago Medical Center; Viewpoint: Hospitals must lift veil of secrecy around superbug outbreaks; Patient dies from fecal transplant, FDA warns; Ohio hospital confirms hot water system source of Legionnaires’ disease outbreak; Deadly fungal infection can spread through skin shedding, study finds; Viewpoint: Patients have the right to not know their prognosis; Hospitals with fewer services receive more 5-starpatient experience ratings; Viewpoint: 4 vaccine misconceptions physicians should address with patients; Familial support best way to engage patients in their health, survey shows; Viewpoint: Patients’ lies to providers must be addressed; Teamwork is main driver of patient loyalty, Press Ganey finds; Viewpoint: Why hospitals should think twice about disrupting patients’ sleep; Hospitals are glamorizing the mammogram; Why this surgeon emails patients’ family members before surgery; Scripps CXO: How to make patient experience part of employees’ daily routines; VA hospitals use storytelling to strengthen patient-provider relationships; IU Health rolls out star ratings for 450 facilities: 3 things to know; 71% of Americans aware of antibiotic resistance, yet confusion remains: 4 report findings; Drug-resistant staph found on most nursing students’ cellphones; WHO urges adoption of antibiotic resistance tool; 3 best metrics or assessing antimicrobial stewardship practices; Prolonged antibiotic exposure common after patient discharge, study finds; Genome sequencing could help hospitals track superbug transmission, researchers say; 5 tips for sustainable antibiotic use; Sepsis patients with higher ED triage scores get antibiotics faster, study finds; Antibiotic guidelines ignored for most kids with community-acquired pneumonia, study finds; Patient, physician education can cut inappropriate antibiotics by 32%; Gene that makes salmonella resistant to antibiotics found in US patient; 1 antibiotic course could create resistance in children, study finds; How 1 hospital saved $322K in 4 months with a new sepsis strategy; American College of Surgeons’ new standards for geriatric patients: 4 things to know; Patients may have worse outcomes when surgeons act unprofessionally; ‘Weekend effect’ on hospital care quality a myth, study suggests; How this St. Louis hospital cut C-section rates with better communication; AHRQ aims to prevent 1M diagnostic errors annually by 2025; Viewpoint: How whiteboards could help hospitals cut C-section rates; Centers of excellence not linked to lower mortality, readmission rates; How this Georgia hospital is addressing high maternal mortality rates; How Penn Medicine is tackling sepsis readmissions; Click here to download a PDF version of the Issue.

May / June Issue of Becker’s Infection Control and Clinical Quality

Multidrug-resistant infections cost hospitals $2.4B annually; How some hospitals, nursing homes are teaming up against antibiotic-resistant infections; HAIs decreased in 2017, CDC report finds; NIH researchers call for more research into rare, polio-like illness; There are 4 types of anti-vaccine messages, study finds; Instagram, GoFundMe crack down on anti-vaccine content; Undiagnosed, untreated HIV patients responsible for 81% of new transmissions; How Mount Sinai increased hand hygiene compliance by 20%; WHO's recommendations for 2019-20 flu vaccine: 3 notes; Delaying flu shots until October could prevent 22K illnesses, study finds; Kentucky governor says he purposely exposed children to chickenpox; NIH launches 1st clinical trial of universal flu vaccine; Physicians ‘terrorized into silence’ by anti-vaccine groups online; 50%+ of hospital trainees work while experiencing flu-like illness; Measles uptick may be ‘new normal,’ says CDC leader; Rates of stethoscope cleaning, hand hygiene practices ‘lower than expected’ in ED, study says; Flu shot, spray OK for next season, says American Academy of Pediatrics; AMA calls on tech CEOs to address anti-vaccine content; From national security to hospital safety: How SSM Health’s Chief Quality Officer Dr. Alexander Garza is tackling HAIs; Nearly 40% of healthcare workers make errors when removing personal protective equipment; CDC: 119,000+ US residents contracted staph in 2017, as progress to stem it slows; How NorthShore University HealthSystem keeps CAUTI rates low; Matching subsidies for infection control effective at lowering HAI levels; WHO head: Next flu pandemic is matter of when, not if; Measles cases hit highest level since 2000; Algorithm identifies patients at higher risk for hospital-acquired pneumonia; Electronic hand hygiene system fails to improve ICU staff satisfaction; 14% of new hospital patients harbor superbugs: 4 study findings; Daily antiseptic bath cuts infections 31% for patients with indwelling devices, study finds; Delaying flu shots until October could prevent 22K illnesses; State-mandated reporting laws may lower time spent on infection control activities; Safety issues spur Pennsylvania hospital to create new exec position; Missouri hospital retains Medicare contract after colonoscopy death investigation; E-prescribing systems could increase medication error risk; Stop calling physicians ‘second victim’ of medical errors, patient advocates say; Johns Hopkins All Children’s dodges millions of dollars in fines for safety issues; Study: Longer resident shifts don’t threaten patient safety; CMS updates immediate jeopardy citation guidelines; Overlapping surgery is safe, except for high-risk patients: 4 study findings; Employee engagement is crucial for patient-centered care, says Press Ganey; Mount Carmel: 5 patients who died under former physician’s care may have lived if given right treatment; 48 Mount Carmel nurses, pharmacists under review amid patient deaths; Serious medical errors rise in Minnesota: 4 findings; U of Illinois at Chicago overlooked serious issues with clinical trial, documents show; Internal FDA database hides dangerous device malfunctions from physicians, KHN report finds; Retained guidewires still a ‘significant patient safety issue’; CMS faults New Jersey nursing home for outbreak that killed 11 kids; Study: Diagnostic accuracy improves with ‘collective intelligence’; Patient dies after fight at Florida healthcare facility; Vanderbilt hit with $25.5M suit over wrong-site surgery; Surgical staplers linked to 41,000 injury, malfunction reports, FDA says; 10 most common sentinel events of 2018; Clinicians delayed CPR on patient who died at New Jersey hospital, CMS finds; Customized drug alerts protect patients from medication errors, study finds; CDC's secrecy of drug-resistant outbreaks in hospitals sparks patient safety debate; 10 top patient safety concerns for 2019, ranked by ECRI Institute; Baylor St. Luke’s pledges reforms after medical error leads to patient death; FDA warns against robotic surgery for cancer due to safety concerns; Facility type affects antibiotic stewardship guideline adherence; Drug-resistant infections to kill 1,328% more people annually by 2050, UN warns; Researchers pinpoint mechanism that makes bacteria resistant to antibiotics; Over 5-year period, antimicrobial stewardship programs saved US hospitals $732 per patient; Antibiotic, PPI use may increase pediatric C. diff risk; Shorter mechanical ventilation duration linked to timely antibiotic prescription in pediatric ICU; Antibacterial consumer products are fueling antibiotic resistance, study finds; Decision tree, risk score methods effective predictors of drug-resistant infections; Researchers develop system to map out areas of antibiotic resistance; Physicians more likely to receive antibiotic prescription training than nurses, pharmacists; Tufts launches antimicrobial resistance research center; Pediatric telemedicine visits may lead to uptick in antibiotic overprescribing; 5 ways bedside nurses can improve antibiotic stewardship; Patient privacy curtains often contaminated with superbugs, study finds; Nearly 70% of pediatric caregivers work around programs to cut antibiotic resistance, survey finds; Highly resistant E. coli strain found in NYC hospital patients; 54% of children with community-associated C. diff recently used antibiotics, study shows; Physician viewpoint: How pizza and coffee helped me see patients in new light; Viewpoint: Why physicians should embrace tears; Immersive VR experience helps calm pediatric ICU patients, study finds; 3 tips for talking to terminal patients about end-of-life care; How noncompete clauses can sever patient-provider relationships; Why this Boston physician gives his cellphone number to patients; Viewpoint: How to tell patients AI is part of their care; Illinois nurses canoe to hospice patients' homes amid flooding; Banner Health launches podcast featuring medical stories; AI teaches physicians to be more empathetic; AHRQ launches app to improve patient engagement; Airbnb expands medical stay program: 4 things to know; Having a medical professional in the family ups likelihood of hitting 80; Viewpoint: When families don’t respect nurses, patient care can suffer; 3 factors affecting patient handoff communication; Costly, aggressive treatments often used on end-stage cancer patients; 1st-year physicians spend more time interacting with EHRs than patients; Physician viewpoint: Lack of EHR sharing prevents patient care; Steal this idea: How a ‘D’ grade redefined the role of quality teams at Piedmont Health; Ohio lawmakers call for stricter hospital regulations after Mount Carmel deaths; Leapfrog CEO: CMS’ readmission reduction program is imperfect, but effective; Patient gratitude can positively affect care team performance; 5 most challenging Joint Commission requirements for hospitals in 2018; Flu vaccine may help lower death risk among heart failure patients, study finds; NAHQ creates framework for healthcare quality teams: 3 things to know; Surgical outcomes vary across health systems with top hospitals, study finds; AHA weighs in on proposed star ratings changes: 4 things to know; CMS push to curb HACs dings level 1 trauma centers, says Carilion’s quality chief; CMS star ratings don’t account for surgical volumes, study finds; Hospital-associated sepsis on decline, but treatment costs climb by $1.5B; Colorado 2nd state to enact law on surgical smoke in OR; Accounting for social risk factors can help safety-net hospitals avoid readmission penalties; Nurses’ work environments affect patient outcomes, study finds; 100+ hospitals have childbirth complication rates 2 times above norm, USA Today investigation finds; San Antonio hospital makes changes to heart program after low Society of Thoracic Surgeons score; Better hospital care cannot prevent most sepsis deaths, study finds; Stricter rules for accrediting bodies met with industry debate; How Barnes-Jewish Hospital cut unnecessary UTI testing in half; The universal rule on how much time hospitals should spend on quality in board meetings; Nurse navigators linked to fewer readmissions, deaths among heart attack patients; Patient deaths after colorectal surgery declined from 2008-17; How Kaiser Permanente used new assessment criteria to reduce admissions; Text message system may improve patient outcomes after surgery, study finds; Physician viewpoint: Why are we still using stethoscopes?; Click here to download a PDF version of the Issue.

March / April Issue of Becker’s Infection Control and Clinical Quality

Computer model can help control MRSA​ ​outbreaks in hospitals; Drug-resistant bacteria may​ ​thrive in certain hospital sink​ ​drains, study finds; Boston Children’s researchers​ tap machine learning for​ better flu surveillance; Patient dies​ ​hours after being​ ​turned away​ ​from Wisconsin​ ​hospital; Johns Hopkins hospitals don’t always​ ​follow ‘basic safety rules,’ report claims; How Sentara hospitals use copper to​ ​drop infection rates; Bill Gates: We​ ​aren’t ready​ ​for deadly flu​ ​pandemic; Woman tests positive for hep B​ ​after sterilization breach at New​ Jersey clinic; Johns Hopkins hires former prosecutor to​ probe safety issues at All Children’s; UChicago Medicine cuts inpatient sleep disruptions​ ​with EHR tool; Half of young patients don’t get​ private time with physicians,​ study finds; Physician viewpoint: We must​ stop blaming patients for​ unhealthy lifestyle choices; Patient relationships in the age of tech and 8-second​ attention spans: 5 Qs with Dignity Health’s SVP of​ Quality, patient experience; Accessible care more important to​ patients than care quality, survey says; Viewpoint: Why removing access​ to healthcare is a moral issue; Why some hospitals are​ offering essential oils to​ surgery patients; How detecting false​ penicillin allergies​ helps physicians fight​ antibiotic resistance​; Researchers uncover key step to how​ antibiotic resistance spreads in hospitals; Late-career physicians more likely​ to prescribe long antibiotic courses; Viewpoint: 4 moments to change how antibiotics​ are prescribed; Wyoming hospital patient​ diagnosed with rare,​ drug-resistant infection; 84% of patients receive antibiotics for​ infection-like symptoms, survey finds; How CRISPR can help with​ antibiotic development; 1 in 4 antibiotic prescriptions​ are unnecessary, study finds; Why this tool​ to predict​ readmission​ risk may have a​ blind spot; Hospital readmission improvements under​ Medicare program may be overstated; Hospital insurance claims probably not​ best way to track SSIs, study suggests; How machine learning can reduce tests, improve​ treatments for ICU patients; 5 stats on the dangers of​ surgical smoke; Early intervention with​ infectious disease specialist​ linked to lower death rates; Hospital-acquired conditions​ dropped nearly 1 million from​ 2014 -17; Deaths linked to medical​ treatment have fallen in​ last 25 years; How this New York​ hospital cut postoperative​ blood clots in half; US News 'Best Hospitals'​ rankings to incorporate​ HCAHPS data; How to create the 'aha moment' most nurses are​ missing: 5 questions with ANA's VP of innovation; Massachusetts nurse stabbed by former patient urges​ hospital safety changes; 50 states ranked by amount of active nurses​; 3 most, least rewarding​ parts of working as an RN; Hospitals with better nurse​ work environments have safer​ pediatric care; Viewpoint: Why this nursing 'rite of passage' is bullying​ in disguise; Click here to download a PDF version of the Issue.

January / February Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clinical Quality

Why some hospitals are deploying giant ‘Roombas’ in fight against HAIs; Partners mandates flu shots for all 74K employees; 2 people test positive for hep B after sterilization breach at New Jersey clinic; Stethoscopes carry broad range of bacteria — even after cleaning; Can vitamin-steroid cocktail cure sepsis? Trial aims to find out; Flu shot rates on the rise for kids, adults; Glove use may thwart hand hygiene, particularly among nurses; Machine learning can help predict hospital infection risk, study finds; Hand hygiene key to mitigating S. aureus transmission in the OR; Viewpoint: How hospital workplace bullying harms patient safety; ‘Higher than expected’ contamination rates found with duodenoscopes after reprocessing; Indiana VA hospital unveils building for sterilizing surgical tools; 20 hospitals win AORN’s Go Clear Gold Award for eliminating surgical smoke; Why this family heirloom could reveal how 1918 flu pandemic spread; HAIs, sepsis and more: 8 leaders share patient safety goals for 2019; Firing of St. Louis nurse for violating mandatory flu shot policy sparks protest; Joint Commission: 9 ways to prevent flu transmission in hospitals; UV disinfection linked to lower C. diff rates; How virtual reality is helping physicians treat anxious patients: 5 notes reality is helping physicians treat anxious patients: 5 notes; How this Intermountain nurse comforts deceased patients’ families; 60% of older patients don’t want to discuss life expectancy, survey finds; What hospitals can do to avoid disrupting patients’ sleep; Patient experience key to driving brand loyalty, report finds; The problem with patient surveys; 94% of patients expect their provider to tell them about bill payment options, survey finds; Study: Surgery complications don’t affect patient satisfaction; Most patients don’t disclose relevant information to clinicians, study finds; Why Mount Sinai opened a 'man cave'; Care decision-makers often overly confident about loved ones’ treatment wishes; Physician viewpoint: We must stop blaming patients for unhealthy lifestyle choices; Amoxicillin prescription rates low for children’s infections, study finds; Does antibiotic treatment duration matter for hospitalized patients with Gram-negative bacteremia?; Non-children’s hospitals fall short when treating kids for pneumonia, study finds; Northwestern, USC, Teladoc to study antibiotic stewardship in telehealth; Bedside flu diagnosis in pediatric ED reduced antibiotic treatment by 70%; Many hospitals do not follow CDC's antibiotic recommendations for newborns, study shows; ED crowding linked to delayed antibiotics for sepsis, study finds; Investing $2 per person in antibiotic stewardship annually could thwart superbugs; This insect could help the fight against antibiotic resistance; 6 most common elements of infection control interventions for 3 drug resistant bacteria; Survey: 81% of Americans concerned about antibiotic resistance; 5 hospitals earn CDC grants to develop antibiotic resistance solutions; Leapfrog Group announces 2018 Top Hospitals; How Atrium Health sustains a 4% reduction in readmissions annually; Early intervention with infectious disease specialist linked to lower death rate; 58% of nurses rate their hospital’s end-of-life care unfavorably, study finds; Florida children’s hospitals may have to post heart surgery death rates online; VA hospitals outperform peers in care quality, study finds; Low RN staffing levels linked to higher patient mortality risk; Top-ranked hospitals demonstrate worse readmission rates for heart failure, study finds; Geisinger surgery pilot cut lengths of stay in half; Harmful medical errors fall 38% with improved provider-family communication, study finds; Tablets, inpatient portals linked to lower readmission rates; Study: Adverse events declining in VA hospitals; Click here to download a PDF version of the Issue.

2018

November / December Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clinical Quality

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation partner to detect infectious disease spread; Hospital linens may be source of C. diff outbreaks, study finds; Care concerns emerge from Missouri’s ‘assistant physician’ licensure program; Hospital privacy curtains are breeding MRSA, study finds; Hospitals lead healthcare worker vaccinations, CDC says; 4 flu preparedness lessons from the 1918 pandemic; Sunlight can kill infection-causing bacteria indoors, study find; EEOC sues Saint Thomas Health over mandatory flu shot policy; How Christiana Care administered 7k+ flue shots to employees in 1 day; How DNA tests can help physicians detect infectious diseases faster; ‘Eyeballing’ patients may find sickest ones more effectively than formal assessment ;3 hospitals honored for eliminating patient deaths; ‘Patient safety room of horrors’ helps med students prepare for hospital mishaps; Big cities need more epidemiologists, health officials say; How a Novant Health hospital reduced infections by 70%; Michigan nurse donates kidney to her patient; 1 in 4 seriously ill patients report critical medical error; Hospitals struggle to sustain preparedness for infectious disease outbreaks; WHO-based intervention increases hand hygiene compliance to 80%+; It’s not just ‘Stayin’ Alive’ — Here’s why NewYork-Presbyterian built a Spotify playlist for CPR; Older, sicker patients often uncomfortable speaking up about problems during hospital stays; Rush hospital nurse: Why providers should revisit how they discuss death with patients; Viewpoint: How to turn ’10 minutes into 20’ with a patient; Medical scribes linked to better patient experience, physician workflow; Why every physician at Mount Sinai’s children’s hospital carries referral cards for therapy dogs; How Penn Medicine uses VR to help ease anxious minds; Community health workers double patients’ satisfaction, cut hospital stays; Where do patients share physician reviews online? 5 survey insights;Patients say Googling health symptoms improves communication with physicians; California hospital lets young surgery patients drive to OR; How medical schools are battling stereotypes about elderly patients; Why Boston patients have longer appointment wait times; More regulations cutting into time with patients, physicians say; Why this Michelin-star chef left the restaurant industry to cook in hospitals; Missouri children’s hospital uses ‘medical version of Snapchat’ to give families surgery updates; Breastfeeding linked to less antibiotic-resistant bacteria in infants, study finds; How Case Western researchers are eliminating drug-resistant infections without antibiotics; Early antibiotic stewardship intervention lowers costs; UC Berkeley researchers create rapid test to detect superbugs; Study: Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing common for acute pancreatitis; Hair-like structures on bacteria could open door for new antibiotics; Clinical checklist can cut antibiotic duration for staph infections, researchers find; Nearly half of outpatient antibiotics prescribed without infection diagnosis; Alternative antibiotics after C-sections may cause more infections; Nearly half of patients will keep leftover antibiotics: 3 survey findings; Are physicians overprescribing antibiotics to get higher ratings from patients?; Why superbug transmission occurs in 11% of nursing home interactions; Antidepressants could be fueling superbug growth, study finds; Study: Hospital sink traps may harbor antibiotic-resistant bacteria; Why giving antibiotics to dogs may help bacterial infections spread to people; Probiotic use may decrease likelihood of antibiotic prescriptions among children; Scientists turn to soil to combat antibiotic-resistant TB; CareChex: Top 10 quality hospitals for overall hospital care 2019; Hospitals that use accrediting organizations don’t have lower death rates, study finds; San Antonio hospitals report better trauma outcomes after ambulances stock blood for transfusions; Discharging heart patients on weekends not linked to higher readmission rates, study finds; IU Health forms 16 clinical councils to boost care quality; Readmission risk jumps 2.9% for every day spent in rural hospital; Hospital-acquired conditions dropped 21% in 5 years; In-hospital death risk higher among heart failure patients with do-not-resuscitate orders; US News medical school rankings have little effect on patient outcomes, study finds; CMS eases readmission penalties for safety-net hospitals; Septic shock mortality rates improved since ‘surviving sepsis’ guidelines released; HAIs can be cut up to 55% through infection control interventions, study finds; Physicians’ choice: Best hospitals for treating key conditions; 4 ways to avoid communication errors during patient handoffs; How AI & natural language processing technologies can improve outcomes: Q&A with RCCH HealthCare Partners CMIO Dr. Vishal Bhatia; Understanding patient experience can help curb unneeded tests; Google creates AI to detect when breast cancer spreads; Penn Medicine researchers predict depression diagnoses from Facebook posts; NYU uses Google's AI to identify lung cancer; Stanford scientists use bioinformatics to trace hospital-acquired bloodstream infections to patients’ digestive tracts; Seattle database tracks superbugs, helps hospitals find best drugs to fight them; Duke University Hospital rolls out AI system for sepsis; 'AI Clinician' outperforms physicians in treating sepsis patients; Machine learning model helps scientists identify source of deadly viruses; Johns Hopkins researchers develop tool to predict patient no-shows;  AI tools to detect infection fall short when analyzing data across health systems; Click here to download a PDF version of the Issue.

September / October Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clinical Quality

Viewpoint: Why hospital mergers raise patient safety problems; Human tracking of hand hygiene compliance inadequate; Florida physician faces $2.5K fine for hemostat left inside patient; American Academy of Pediatrics recommends flu shot over FluMist; Physician burnout doubles risk of patient safety incidents, study finds; Human trafficking crisis drives Delaware hospitals to create victim care guidelines; CoxHealth uses hand scanners to prevent medical errors; HAIs take an emotional toll on patients, study finds; Hospitals need more reliable practices to prevent retained surgical items, says Dignity Health's SVP of patient safety; Viewpoint: Why discrimination against female threatens patient safety; Most patient family members hesitant to express safety concerns; This Maryland hospital wants physicians to discuss gun safety with patients; New hand hygiene data collection process uses Google; Nurses less likely than physicians to speak up to colleagues with poor hand hygiene; Denver Health aims for quicker public alerts after Ebola scare; How Johns Hopkins Hospital preps for infectious disease threats, bioterrorism; Hospital staff racks up infection control errors in pathogen transmission study; Viewpoint: Mainstream media reports on disease outbreaks lack crucial information; Physicians give patients 11 seconds to explain reasons for visit before interrupting; Why this Iowa hospital uses essential oils in its ER; 5 consumer thoughts on healthcare providers’ patient engagement; End-of-life discussions with nonmedical workers boost patient satisfaction, study finds; How a nurse-led initiative helps New York hospital patients sleep better; Is your hospital short on hugs? How ‘cuddler’ programs help NICU patients; Patient surveys do not measure full range of healthcare experiences, research shows; Physicians and patients differ on concept of good communication; New Jersey physician advocates for providers to give patients 40 seconds of undivided attention; Physicians shortchanging patients in cancer-screening discussions, study finds; Geisinger, Merck roll out patient communication tools; Boston Children's adds AI health assistant to website; How MetroHealth helps trauma patients by partnering with churches; 14 things cancer patients want during a hospital stay; UCSF, Dignity Health partner to create patient engagement platform; 40% of patients couldn't remember whether their physicians wore a white coat; 111 patient safety benchmarks | 2018; Only ‘most intensive’ stewardship programs effectively lower total antibiotic use; 3-pronged intervention improves intraoperative antibiotic redosing compliance; Bacteria growing more resistant to hospital disinfectants; Big pharma backs off superbug: Why 5 drugmakers bailed on antibiotic research; Researchers develop ‘smart antibiotics’ to combat C. diff; Urgent care centers may be overprescribing antibiotics; Penicillin allergy indicates higher risk of developing MRSA, C. diff; UK researchers launch free database of ‘forgotten’ antibiotics; IDSA names 25 hospitals Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of Excellence; Paper towels spread less bacteria than air hand dryers in hospital bathrooms, study finds; 5 common drug-resistant pathogens cost US about $2.9B; Antibiotic resistance levels in this bacteria are 'alarming,' researchers say; How many FTEs are required for successful antibiotic stewardship programs?; How 'predatory bacteria' can help fight antibiotic resistance; CMS drops proposal to reduce public reporting of hospital infections, safety issues; Joint Commission will require hospitals to report percentage of newborns with unexpected complications; Hospital Compare spotlights hospitals’ sepsis performance; New York’s sepsis treatment mandate linked to lower in-hospital mortality; How a Lean-based QI program increased discharges by noon; Study: Outpatient follow-up visits linked to fewer hospital readmissions; Healthgrades honors hospitals for women’s care quality; Viewpoint: Quality measures fail to determine a physician’s value; Majority of physicians worried MIPS could harm patient care, study finds; US News' Best Hospitals 2018-19 Honor Roll; CMS' overall star ratings updates, delays: A timeline; 7-part score could help determine heart attack readmissions, study finds; Risk of complications increases 29% when physicians don't follow EHR alerts, study suggests; 8 ways hospitals are cutting readmissions; 72K Americans died from drug overdoses in 2017, CDC estimates; Oregon Medicaid proposal would cut opioid coverage for chronic pain patients; Dr. Toby Cosgrove: Opioid epidemic has 'peaked'; EMS naloxone use jumps 75% in 4 years, CDC says; Physicians prescribe fewer opioids after county medical examiner notifies them of patients’ fatal overdose; CMS targets children affected by opioid epidemic in new care model; What hospitals can learn from California EDs treating addiction on demand; FDA to change how it evaluates addiction drugs; Meet the West Virginia lawyer overseeing 400+ opioid lawsuits against drugmakers, distributors; Johns Hopkins creates opioid guidelines for 20 common surgeries; Click here to download a PDF version of the Issue.

July / August Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clinical Quality

50 Experts Leading the Field of Patient Safety | 2018; Are hospital readmissions an accurate quality measure? These 2 researchers aren’t so sure; How Intermountain researchers are helping smaller hospitals cut antibiotic use;
Physicians claim Mississippi children’s hospital had ‘pervasive mold and cockroaches’; Jackson Health had most MRSA infections in US for 2017; Viewpoint: Why state-mandated nurse ratios could harm patient safetystate-mandated nurse ratios could harm patient safety; 13 statistics on never events; Inspection report faults Boston Children’s for medication errors linked to patient deathmedication errors linked to patient death; Healthgrades honors 458 hospitals for patient safety; Researchers are working on tech to monitor handwashing in hospitals 24/7; Infection prevention programs may need up to 66% more staffing; How Mount Sinai is harnessing the power of bright light to boost patient satisfaction; Study: Negative online physician reviews fail to reflect patient satisfaction survey responses; US News adds patient experience ratings to physician profiles; CMS gives 213 hospitals 5 stars for patient experience; What patients & caregivers value most during care transitionsduring care transitions; Study: Patients don't care if physicians have tattoos or piercings; Physicians and patients differ on concept of good communication, study finds; 50 Experts Leading the Field of Patient Safety | 2018; How Intermountain researchers are helping smaller hospitals cut antibiotic use; Patients in warmer climates face higher risk of drug-resistant infections; 5 questions on antibiotic susceptibility testing with Accelerate DiagnosticsAccelerate Diagnostics; 3 barriers to nurse engagement in antibiotic stewardship; Vast majority of preterm babies receive early antibiotic therapy; Global antibiotic shortages are fueling superbugs: 5 report findings; Physicians battle first drug-resistant typhoid outbreak: 8 things to knowresistant typhoid outbreak: 8 things to know; How pharmacists are slashing readmission rates at a Philadelphia hospital; Fewer medical mistakes saved hospitals $2.9B from 2014 to 2016; CMS unveils $25B quality improvement program; Are hospital readmissions an accurate quality measure? These 2 researchers aren’t so sure; ‘Time’s up’: California exchange insurers to drop in-network hospitals missing safety marks; State-by-state breakdown of hospital admission rates; CMS postpones July hospital star ratings update; Click here to download a PDF version of the Issue.

May / June Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clinical Quality

The 56-second fix to reduce patient suffering 5 questions with Christy Dempsey, CNO of Press Ganey; Why the death of local newspapers is a disaster for outbreak surveillance; How Mass General physicians are learning to talk to patients about dying; OIG: DC VA hospital had 375+ patient safety incidents in 2 years; Infectious disease deaths drop in US: 5 study findings; APPs in leadership roles: Key opportunities and considerations for hospitals; Indigo-Clean: A Revolutionary New Way to Battle HAIs; The importance of advances in nasal decolonization for current and future infection prevention; The power of light: How hospitals can harness UV energy to reduce HAIs; How hospital leaders can harness intraoperative technology to fight SSIs in high-risk surgeries; With hand hygiene compliance, there’s no such thing as ‘good enough’; 97% of patients comfortable with sexual orientation questions, Mayo Clinic study finds; Viewpoint: Failing to tell patients they are inoperable may make them suffer more; Global antibiotic consumption soared 65% in 16 years; Increased hospital payments linked to better heart attack outcomes: 4 things to know; Press Ganey: Safety, quality, experience and engagement are all interconnected — So why are improvement efforts siloed?; Click here to download a PDF version of the Issue.

March / April Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clinical Quality

This Seattle Hospital Aims to Get All Sepsis Patients on Antibiotics Within 3 Hours; Northwell Rolls Out One-of-a-Kind Flu Tracker for Long Island, NYC; Patient Safety Issues Could Drive $383B in Healthcare Costs by 2022; Milwaukee Hospital Suspends Employees for Leaving Homeless Patient in Cold; Flu-Related Hospitalizations Reach 10-Year High: 4 Things to Know; Aspen Valley Hospital Suspends Elective Surgeries Over Sterilization Issues; 135 Surgical Patients Exposed to Unsterile Equipment at Missouri Hospital; University Hospitals Nurse Fired for Calling in Sick With Flu: 4 Things to Know; DMC Children’s Hospital Brings Sterile Processing In-House; Hospital Toilet Flushing During Patient Care Can Lead to Spread of Pathogens; Should Providers Ask All Patients About Sexual Orientation? 4 Insights; 85% of Patients Value Compassion Over Cost in Healthcare: 4 Findings; Epic Tops KLAS' List of 9 Best Patient Portals; Cancer Patients Want Say in Where They Die: 4 Things to Know; Why First Impressions of Providers Matter More for New Patients: 4 Insights; Physicians Hugging Patients — Empathetic or Inappropriate?; Viewpoint: Physicians Should Be Permitted to Help Patients Die; These 3 Clinics Accept Bitcoin Payments, But See Little Demand From Patients; Do Patients Trust Medical Leaders? 6 Things to Know; Hospital Wastewater Systems Are a Reservoir for Drug-Resistant Bacteria: 5 Study Findings; WHO: 5 Most Common Antibiotic-Resistant Infections; Most Infection Specialists Don’t Recommend the Shortest Possible Antibiotic Course; Mercy Health Pilots ‘Super Scrubs’ Across System; Researchers Leverage Forgotten Antibiotic in Battle Against Superbugs; CDC Map Outlines National Progress Against Antibiotic Resistance; Stewardship Program Linked to 11.4% Drop in Patients Treated With Antimicrobials ; Chlorhexidine Gluconate-Based Hand Sanitizers More Effective Than Ethanol-Only ; VA Offers Higher Quality End-of-Life Care Than Medicare: 5 Things to Know; The Joint Commission Now Cites Individual Hand Hygiene Noncompliance as Deficiency; Google Predicts Medical Outcomes With 46B Data Points, Artificial Intelligence: 5 Things to Know ; Emory Researchers Use AI to Predict Sepsis Onset in ICUs; Penn State Launches Big Data Project to Drive Population Health, Personalized Medicine; Research Intermountain’s Precision Genomics Arm Begins Tests to Identify Hereditary Cancer Genes Ochsner Integrates AI Into Patient Care; 2 Ways AI is Helping Fight the Flu This Season and Those to Come; Harvard Spinout Creates AI Coach to Field Patient Questions Between Medical Visits; This Seattle Hospital Aims to Get Sepsis Patients on Antibiotics Within 3 Hours — Here's How; Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

January / February Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clinical Quality

Buffalo's Mercy Hospital Faces Lawsuits After 2 Patients Die From Sepsis Two Days Apart; Wearing Long Sleeves During OR Patient Skin Prep May Reduce Airborne Contaminants; Video Shows Nursing Home Staff Laughing as Patient Died Gasping for Air; Suspending Weekend Hospital Services Does Not Hurt Patient Outcomes, Study Finds; More Hospitals Are Using 'Substitute Physicians' — Are They Safe?; Study: Overlapping Surgeries Boost Complication Risks; Scarlet Fever is Making a Comeback — And No One Knows Why; C. Diff Most Frequently Found in Floor Corners After Disinfection; 85% of Patients, Providers Say Healthcare Costs are Disproportionate to Quality; High Levels of Patient Satisfaction Linked With Lower Chance of 30-Day Readmission; 3 Ways Intensive Care Units Can Better Educate Patients; Unconscious Patient's 'Do Not Resuscitate' Tattoo Creates Ethical Dilemma for ER Staff; Study: One-Day Physician Communication Training Linked to Improved Patient Experience;Geisinger Honors More Than 130 Providers for Excellent Patient Experiences; Younger Physicians Linked to More Patient Complaints Than Older Colleagues; When Physicians Say 'No' to Requests, Patient Satisfaction Suffers; Patients Find Online Portals Difficult to Understand, Study Finds; Allied Against Sepsis: 5 Qs With Amplifire CEO on Eliminating Clinical Misinformation; Kaiser Achieves 22% Reduction in Antibiotic Use With EHR Alerts; Antibiotic Stewardship Reduces C. Diff Incidence 32%; Tetracyclines Linked to Lower C. Diff Risk Compared to Other Antibiotics; FDA Website to Improve Management of Antibiotic Use; 32 Quality Measures CMS is Considering for 2018 Pre-Rulemaking;
CMS Adds 4 Measures for Flu Vaccine, MRSA and C. Diff to Provider Compare Sites; Leapfrog: Chicago Hospital's Lawsuit is '11th Hour Gambit' to Change Safety Grade; How Geisinger, Cleveland Clinic, Others Are Responding to Negative Patient Reviews; Should Opioid Addiction Be Considered a Hospital-Acquired Condition? Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

2017

November 2017 Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clinical Quality

CMS' 'Meaningful Measures' Initiative Seeks to Curb Burden of Quality Reporting .Patients Really Want Physicians to Do After a Medical Error ;CMS' 'Meaningful Measures' Initiative Seeks to Curb Burden of Quality Reporting;Patient Safety Issues Rarely Spur Joint Commission to Withdraw Seal of Approval ;The 2 Most Effective Operating Room Practices to Reduce SSIs ;Brigham and Women's Mandatory Flu Shot Policy Prompts Nursing Suit;SSI Risk 50% Higher in Patients With Recorded Penicillin Allergy ;Can Boosting Patient Hand Hygiene Impact C. Diff Infection Rates? ;Study: Statins Reduce Risk of Bloodstream Infections 27% ;How Drones Could Improve Neonatal Infection Control ;How Liquid, Gel and Foam Stack Up for Alcohol-Based Hand Rubs;CDC: 'Dangerous Minority' of Providers Engage in Unsafe Injection Practices ;California Hospital Fined $40k After Physician Left Patient Mid-Hysterectomy;Every Extra Patient on a Nurse's Caseload Increases Mortality Risk 7% ;Positive Mood on Day of Flu Shot May Boost Viral Protection ;Bedford VA Medical Center Under Investigation After Patient Died While Nurse Aide Played Video Games;Intermountain Hospital Now Screens All Mothers for Emotional Wellness Before Discharge;CNAs Often Fail to Swap Out Contaminated Medical Gloves, Study Finds ;Ex-Quality Officer Claims Operator of United Medical Center in DC Undermined Patient Safety Efforts ;Study: 4 in 10 Healthcare Professionals Work With Flu-Like Symptoms;Study: Patients Feeling Intimidated During Physician Visits May Act Like Hostages ;Patients' Perception of Hospital Food Influenced by Ordering, Delivery Experience ; Rady Children's Hospital Allows Pediatric Patients to Drive to the OR ;The Most Crucial Aspect of Patient Interactions Physicians Often Miss ;Virtual OR Tours May Reduce Presurgical Anxiety in Children ;Study: Daily 5-Minute Conversations With Patients Boost Satisfaction Scores ;What Patients Really Want Physicians to Do After a Medical Error ;Survey Finds Patients Want More Time With Physicians ;Survey: 1 in 5 Americans Say They've Experienced a Medical Error ;5 Qs With Lucile Packard Children’s CMO on Designing a Patient-Centered Hospital;Sepsis Initiatives May Hinder Antibiotic Stewardship, Boost C. Diff Rates ;Study: Antimicrobial Nursing Scrubs Ineffective at Limiting Bacterial Contamination ;APIC's ABCs of Antibiotic Prescribing ;WHO: The World Has a Serious Lack of New Antibiotics Under Development ;England's Top Physician Warns of 'Post-Antibiotic Apocalypse' ;Hospital Food Can Carry MRSA, VRE ;6 Notes on Antibiotic Prescribing Patterns of Medical Residents ;Unnecessary Antibiotic Prescriptions Vary by Race in Pediatric EDs ;Antibiotic Use, Chronic Liver Disease Linked to C. Diff Recurrence ;Receiving Antibiotics Within 24 Hours of ICU Admission Reduces Sepsis Mortality Rate;Antibiotic Use May Boost Superbug Spread in Nursing Homes ; Antibiotics Effective at Preventing Recurrence of Minor Pediatric Staph Infections ; Dentist-Prescribed Antibiotics Linked to Rising C. Diff Rates; Viewpoint: Pressure to Reduce Readmissions Can Hinder Care Quality, Patient Safety ; Physicians With Low Quality Ratings Prescribe More Opioids, Barbiturates for Headaches ;Patient Safety Issues Rarely Spur Joint Commission to Withdraw Seal of Approval ; Study: Online Physician Ratings Not Indicative of Care Quality ; CMS: Poor Board Governance Hurt Quality at Sonoma West Medical Center ;8 Tips for High-Quality Hand-Offs From The Joint Commission ; 10 Most Overused Medical Tests, Treatments ;Study Finds Physician Satisfaction Not Associated With Better Quality Care ;Children's National Quality Initiative Reduces NICU Chest X-Rays, Cuts Costs ;Critics Argue Anthem's New Outpatient Imaging Policy is at Odds With Promoting Quality ;Hospital Quality Influences Readmission Rates Independent of Patient Factors ;How the Pioneer ACOs Stacked Up on Shared Savings, Quality in 2016 ;Healthgrades: 25 Cities Leading the Way in Healthcare ;CMS Postpones October Hospital Star Ratings Update: 5 Things to Know ;Study: 25% of LA County Hospital Patients Readmitted Within 30 days ; Leapfrog Releases Fall 2017 Hospital Safety Grades ; Where Are the 15 Leapfrog F Hospitals? ;CMS' 'Meaningful Measures' Initiative Seeks to Curb Burden of Quality Reporting;Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

September 2017 Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clinical Quality

Lucile Packard Children’s Head of Patient Experience Answers 5 Q’s on $1.1B PatientCentered Expansion;Why Hospitals Need Standards for Reporting Quality Measures: 5 Thoughts From Dr. Peter Pronovost and Colleagues ; A New Warrior in the Sepsis Fight: Dedicated Sepsis Nurses; Removing Sinks From ICU Rooms Reduces Bacterial Colonization, Study Finds; Swedish Health CEO Dr. Guy Hudson Overhauls Concurrent Surgery Policy; Poor Hand Hygiene Linked to 6 Staph Infections, 1 Death at South Carolina Pain Clinic; 3 Things Hospitals Can Do Now to Address Overlapping Surgeries; Do Cellphones in the OR Jeopardize Patient Safety? 5 Thoughts; Physicians Rarely Clean Stethoscopes Between Patients, Study Finds; Organ Procurement and Transplant Network Puts Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Transplant Program on Probation ; Infection Rates Take Center Stage in SEIU, Stanford Fight; Pro-Vaccine Messages Can Backfire, Study Finds; A New Warrior in the Sepsis Fight: Dedicated Sepsis Nurses; Even Perfect Hand Hygiene Can’t Halt MRSA Spread to NICU Babies; Most Americans Prefer Paper Towels to Air Dryers After Washing Hands; Lucile Packard Children’s Head of Patient Experience Answers 5 Q’s on $1.1B Patient-Centered Expansion; What Patients Value Most About Having Access to Provider Notes; Why Children’s Hospitals Are Getting Into Snapchat; Better Patient Experience Linked to Lower Mortality; Patients See Empathetic Physicians as More Competent; Hospital Loses Patient’s Necklace, Team Digs Through 15 Tons of Waste to Find It; The Risks, Rewards of Patients Recording Clinician Visits; 10 Steps to Create a Patient-Focused Healthcare Experience Using Technology; Do Patients Really Need to Take Their Full Course Of Antibiotics? 4 Thoughts; New Antibiotic Class Shows Promise as Possible Gonorrhea Treatment; 1 in 5 Patients Experience Adverse Events From Antibiotics; Common Household Disinfectant Linked to Antibiotic Resistance; MRSA Screening Not Linked to Prolonged Antibiotic Use; Olympus to Pay Virginia Mason $6.6M for Role in Superbug Outbreak: 7 Things to Know; C. Diff Infections More Common in Acute Than Long-Term Care Settings; Antibiotic Use to Blame Experimental Antibiotic Displays Promise for Treatment of Plague and Superbugs; Unnecessary Prescriptions Drop 8.2% Due to Antimicrobial Stewardship Program in ED; Antibiotic Stewardship Highly Effective in Reducing Drug-Resistant Bacteria, C. Diff Infections; WHO: Antibiotic-Resistant Gonorrhea Becoming More Difficult to Treat; 6 Findings on Antibiotic Stewardship Programs at US Hospitals; CMS to Punish More Than 2.5k Hospitals for 30-Day Readmissions: 7 Things to Know; Adjusting Healthcare Performance Measures for Social Risk Factors Proves Feasible, NQF Finds; Why Hospitals Need Standards for Reporting Quality Measures: 5 Thoughts From Dr. Peter Pronovost and Colleagues; 3 Quality Measures That Most Influence Overall HCAHPS Scores;16 Large Hospitals With the Lowest C-Section Rates;Hospital Reputation Isn’t Always Reliable Indicator of Surgical Care Quality;NAHQ: 10k Professionals Now Certified in Healthcare Quality;AHA Asks CMS to Suspend Hospital Star Ratings;Readmission Penalties Have Not Harmed Patients, Study Finds;Press Ganey Releases 1st Quality Indicator to Measure Assaults on Nurses;Physicians From Lower-Tier Med Schools Prescribe More Opioids;Surgeons Shun Opioids, Turn to Tylenol and Anesthetics Instead;CDC: Physicians Prescribed 3 Times More Opioids in 2015 Than 1999;OIG: 1 in 3 Medicare Part D Beneficiaries Received Opioids in 2016;Primary Care-Focused Intervention Cuts Prescription Drug Use Among Chronic Pain Patients; Man Kills Indiana Physician Who Refused to Prescribe Wife Opioids ;How Hospitals Can Fight the Opioid Epidemic and More: 5 Qs With Former White House 'Drug Czar' Michael Botticelli Opioid Overdose Deaths Could Be Higher Than CDC Numbers Indicate, Study Finds;Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

July 2017 Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clincal Quality

100 Patient Safety Benchmarks; Dr. Don Berwick: 5 Big Missteps on the Patient Safety Journey; What Happens When a Hospital NICU Goes Handshake-Free?; IHI’s Dr. Tejal Gandhi: ‘We Have to Address Safety With a Total Systems Approach’; Study: OR Doors Open 13.4 Times per Hour During Surgery, Raising Air Particulate Counts; Occupying C. diff-Contaminated Hospital Areas Significantly Increases Infection Risk; Researchers Tracked Germs From Day 1 at a New Hospital — Here’s What They Found; Legionnaires’ Disease is Still a ‘Widespread’ Problem for Hospitals, CDC Study Finds; CMS Memo: Hospitals Must Develop Water Management Policies to Prevent Legionnaires’ Disease; Study Links Bacterial Outbreak in Hospital NICU to Contaminated Tap Water; AORN Experts Respond to Study on Bouffant Use and SSI Rates AORN Experts Respond to Study on Bouffant Use and SSI Rates; Mandatory Use of Bouffant Caps Does Not Impact SSI Rates, Study Shows; Hot Weather Can Increase SSI Incidence by Nearly 30%; Hot or Cool: Water Temperature Does Not Impact Bacteria Removal During Hand-Washing, Study Shows; To Up Patient Compliance With Hand Hygiene, Consider Ease of Use, Study Says; The Case for Simplification: How Hospitals Can Get Clinicians Back to the Bedside; Cluster of Uncommon Superbug Strain Found in Houston; WHO Updates Guidance on ‘Last Resort’ Antibiotic Use; S. aureus Becoming More Susceptible to Antibiotics, Study Suggests; When Used Together, Otherwise Ineffective Antibiotics Can Eradicate Superbugs; Blood Cultures, Antibiotic Stewardship Lowers S. aureus Patient LOS by 3 Days; Henry Ford Health System Starts Phasing Antibiotic-Free Poultry Into Cafeterias; Unnecessary Antibiotic Use in Pediatric Care Can Be Cut Down With Enhanced Communication; Antibiotics Ineffective for Nearly 25% of Pneumonia Patients; Scientists Reengineer Vancomycin to Fight Superbugs; Antibiotics Often Avoidable for UTI Treatment, Says Johns Hopkins Physician; Opioids in America: 6 Things to Know About the Evolution of an Epidemic; How a 101-Word Letter in an Academic Journal Helped Fuel the Opioid Epidemic; HHS Makes $70M in Grants Available to Address Opioid Epidemic; 20% of Weight-Loss Surgery Patients Still on Opioids 7 Years After Surgery; Drug Users Increasingly Injecting in Hospital Bathrooms: What Hospitals Are and Aren’t Doing About It; Study: Prolonged Opioid Use is the Most Common Postsurgical Complication; Hepatitis C Infections Skyrocket; CDC Report Blames Opioid Epidemic; CDC: Hospitalizations for Heroin-Related Infections on the Rise in North Carolina;Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

May 2017 Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clincal Quality

50 Experts Leading the Field of Patient Safety | 2017; Joint Commission: Healthcare Leaders' Failure to Create Safety Culture Can Lead to Adverse Events; WHO Ranks World's 12 Most Dangerous Superbugs; Key to Safe, Patient-Centered Care? Employee Engagement, Press Ganey Says; Study: SC Hospitals See 22% Drop in Post-Surgical Deaths With Use of Checklist-Based Quality Program; CMS Wants to Make Accrediting Organization Surveys Public; Hospital Patient Mortality Drops During Joint Commission Surveys, Study Finds; Joint Commission: 10 Most Common Sentinel Events of 2016; Study: What Are the Risk Factors for SSIs Among Colon Cancer Patients?; Leapfrog Releases Calculator to Measure Lives, Money Lost to Medical Errors; To Shorten Hospital Stays and Save Money, Train Patients Before Surgery; Rebooting Patient Safety: 7 Questions With the Leaders of IHI and NPSF; Inappropriate Syringe Reuse Led to Hep C Transmission in Texas Hospital, CDC Says; New Intervention Benefits Suicidal ED Patients, Lowers Suicide Attempts; Leapfrog: Hospitals Aren’t Using Medication Safety Technology Effectively; Which Boosts Hand Hygiene Long-Term: Peer Pressure or Cash Incentives?; Study: Liquid and Foam Soap Not Created Equal; A Simple Text Message Could Up Hand Hygiene Compliance, Study Finds; Patient, Physician CoWashing May Boost Hand Hygiene Compliance; Does Music Impact Time Spent on Hand Hygiene?; Redesigned Olympus Scopes Linked to Superbug Outbreak: 7 Things to Know; Senator Asks Olympus for More Information on Outbreak Linked to Redesigned Scopes; CDC Director Calls C. auris Fungus a ‘Catastrophic Threat’; Study: Food Supply Possible Source of C. diff Infections; US Sees Growing Number of C. auris Cases: 3 Things to Know; Recurrent C. diff Infections Linked to Higher Death Rates, Research Shows; Hospital Floors Could Transmit Germs More Easily Than Previously Thought; Chlorhexidine Gluconate Baths Can Help Reduce MRSA by up to 55%, Study Shows; C. diff Carriers Who Show No Symptoms Can Up Infection Risk in Other Hospitalized Patients; Bon Secours St. Mary’s Undergoes Deep Clean After 6 Bacterial Infections; CDC Issues New SSI Prevention Guidelines: 5 Things to Know; Maple Syrup Extract Increases Antibiotic Potency; New Antibiotic Compound Proves Effective Against 2 WHO Priority Pathogens; Children’s Hospital Colorado’s New ‘Handshake Stewardship’ Program Led to 10.9% Decline in Antibiotic Use; 7 Things to Know About Inpatient, Outpatient Antibiotic Use; Komodo Dragon Blood Produces New Antibiotic Compound; Childhood Antibiotic Use Linked to Adult Inflammatory Gut Diseases in New Study; Common Antibiotic Ear Drops Up Risk of Perforated Eardrums; Antibiotics Linked to Increased Risk of Bowel Cancer; Appropriate Antimicrobial Prescribing Improves When Physician Autonomy is Preserved, Study Shows; Several Classes of Antibiotics May Up Miscarriage Risk, Study Shows; Patients More Likely to Receive Antibiotics From Mid- or Late-Career Physicians, Study Shows; 7 Findings on Leadership in Patient Experience — Top Priorities, Challenges and More; How Geisinger Uses ‘Nursing Bundles’ to Improve Patient Satisfaction: 4 Takeaways; CMS Updates Hospital Compare Data — How Many Hospitals Have 5 Stars for Patient Experience?; Nurses Sitting at the Bedside Linked to Higher Patient Experience Scores; 51 Hospitals With the Quietest Patient Rooms, as Reported by Patients; Leapfrog’s Spring Safety Grades Show Improvement: 5 Things to Know; 5 Things to Know About Healthgrades’ 2017 Patient Experience and Patient Safety Awards; Leapfrog Safety Grades Penalize Hospitals for Transparency, Study Suggests; Where Are the 10 Leapfrog F Hospitals?; The 64 Leapfrog Straight-A Hospitals; 51 Quality Measures Should Be Removed From Federal Programs, MAP Says; Dr. Peter Pronovost: This Unnecessary Regulation Doesn’t Benefit Patients and Costs $500M Each Year; VA Hospitals Outperform Non-VA Hospitals on Patient Outcome Measures; VA Makes Quality & Patient Satisfaction Scores, Wait Times Transparent; Do Higher Yelp Scores Mean Higher Quality Care?; Readmission Reduction Program Persistently Penalizes Some Hospitals, Study Finds; CMS Readmission Penalties Don’t Correlate With Outcomes, Are Unfair to Hospitals With Sicker Patients, Study Says; Hospital & Health System CNO and CMO Moves; There’s clean & then there’s Tru-D clean: The importance of a strategic plan to implement a Successful UVC Disinfection Program; Scratching below the surface: How taking a closer look at your sterilization packaging systems can increase patient safety; A recipe for SSI reduction: Bundling evidence-based interventions to lower risk, improve patient outcomes; Why daily cleaning may not be enough: Every moment counts Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

March 2017 Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clincal Quality

Zero Readmission Penalties and a 5-Star Rating: What's Behind EvergreenHealth Medical Center's Success?; New Sepsis Treatment Guidelines: 5 Things to Know; 13 Hospitals Warning Patients of Heater-Cooler Infection Risks; How Combining Traditional Hand Hygiene Initiatives With High-Tech Solutions Can Improve Compliance
Bedside Hand Hygiene Improves When Extra Healthcare Workers Are Present; Rethinking Hand Hygiene: 5 Things to Know About the Little-Known World of Skin Microbiota; Peer Pressure, Fear of the Flu Can Boost Hand Hygiene: 6 Survey Findings; How to ‘Engineer’ for Patient Safety: 5 Questions With CHI CMO Dr. Robert Weil; Mandatory Flu Shot Policies May Be Based on Flawed Research, Study Suggests; Patient Safety Efforts Saved Almost 70k Lives in 2016; Environmental Cleaning Approaches for Reducing MRSA Transmission: 5 Study Insights; Accepted Endoscope Reprocessing Regimens Aren’t Always Effective, Study Shows; How Far Do Germs Travel After a Sneeze? It’s Farther Than You Think; Fujifilm to Pull 4 Older Duodenoscope Models From Use; Sepsis Causes More Readmissions Than COPD, Heart Failure, Heart Attack and Pneumonia; Experts Reveal New Information on Heater-Cooler Related Infections: 7 Things to Know; FDA: Serious Allergic Reactions Associated With Chlorhexidine Gluconate; CDC Revises Guidance on Controlling C. auris in Hospitals; 10k Patients Die Each Year Within 7 Days of Leaving a Hospital ER, Study Finds; 11 Key Infectious Disease Terms to Know; CDC: 13 People Affected by Rare Rat Virus Outbreak; 4 Things to Know About the Infection Prevention Profession; Rude Surgeons May Also Be Most Hazardous: 5 Study Findings to Know; Study: Medicare Patients Treated by Foreign-Educated Physicians Are More Likely to Survive; Poor Diagnosis of Fungal Infections Fuels Antibiotic Resistance; Support for Prescribers Reduces Unnecessary Antibiotic Use; E. coli Resistant to Last Resort Antibiotic Found in California for First Time; VA Stewardship Program Reduces Antibiotic Use, C. diff Infections, Study Shows; E. coli Can Develop Antibiotic Resistance in Just Days, Researchers Find; New Antibiotic Combinations Prove Effective Against E. coli; Routinely Prescribed Antibiotic May Not Be Best Severe C. diff Treatment; Antibiotics Primary Driver for Rise in C. diff Infections, Study Finds; When Travelers Use Antibiotics Abroad, Drug-Resistant Superbugs Can Hitchhike Home; Nevada Woman Dies of Superbug Resistant to All 26 Available Antibiotics; 2 Techniques to Reduce Antibiotic Resistance Prove Ineffective in New Study; CMS Changed Its Overall Star Rating Formula — Here’s What’s New; 5 Things to Know About Healthgrades’ 2017 Distinguished Hospital Awards; Where Are CMS’ New Overall 5-Star Hospitals?; Johns Hopkins Awarded Millions to Share Quality Methods With 750 Hospitals’ NQF Publishes Guide to Reduce Variation in Quality Measures; 50 Hospitals With Lowest Pneumonia Mortality; Quality Improvement Initiative Lowers C-Section Rates by 10%+ at Deaconess Medical Center; CDC: 6 Tactics to Help Reduce Health Disparities Among Rural Patients; Hospital & Health System CNO, CMO and Chief Quality Officer Moves Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

January 2017 Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clincal Quality

10 Top Patient Safety Issues for 2017; Spotlight on the Opioid Epidemic; 105 Infection Control Products to Know; CDC’s 7 Public Health Threats in Focus for 2017; ECRI Names 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2017 — Infusion Errors, Scope Cleaning Top List; 769 Hospitals See Medicare Payments Cut Over High HAC Rates: 6 Things to Know; FDA Bans Powdered Gloves, Citing Risks to Patients and Providers; How Does Hospital Patient Room Design Affect HAI Rates?; First Cases of Deadly Fungal Infection Reported in US: 8 Things to Know; Infectious Disease Death Trends in the US: 8 Key Points; A Culture of Support: 4 Ways to Improve Hand Hygiene Compliance; National Patient Safety Efforts Save $28B, More Than 100k Lives Since 2010; New SSI Guidance Emphasizes Patients’ Role in Infection Prevention; WHO Updates SSI Prevention Guidelines: 29 Ways to Prevent Infections; Senate Committee Deems Concurrent Surgeries Unsafe, Urges Hospitals to Ban Them; 31 Low-Performing Teaching Hospitals for Central Line Infection Prevention
; Study: Overlapping Surgeries Prove Safe at Mayo; Robotic Instruments Are Nearly Impossible to Clean Completely, Study Shows; Survey Shows Poor Adherence to CLABSI Prevention Guidelines Worldwide
Soiled Linens Could be Surface C. diff Contamination Source; Community Hospitals’ Antibiotic Stewardship; Challenge: 4 Thoughts From Intermountain’s Stewardship Director; ‘Nightmare Bacteria’ Detected on US Pig Farm; CDC Publishes Antibiotic Stewardship Guidance for Outpatient Settings: 4 Core Elements; Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Detected in Polluted Air; Study Links Antibiotic Resistance With Chlorhexidine Exposure; Syphilis Resurgence Linked to Antibiotic-Resistant, Pandemic Strain ; WWI Antiseptic Could Prove Useful in Superbug Fight; Fiscal Penalties for Low-Performing Hospitals Linked to Improved Readmission Rates; Dr. Don Berwick’s 3 Thoughts on the Intersection of Care Quality & Politics; 49 Hospitals With the Lowest Readmission Rates; Female Physicians’ Patients Have Lower Death & Readmission Rates, Study Finds; Huddle Up: Why Daily Meetings Are Vital to Sustaining Quality Improvement; Leapfrog Names 2016 Top Hospitals: 7 Things to Know; Patients in Worst Hospitals 3 Times More Likely to Die, Study Concludes; CDC Director Says ‘Urgent Action is Needed’: 13 Data Points on the Opioid Epidemic; Survey: 5 Findings on Opioid Prescription Behaviors in 2016; CDC: Heroin Overdose Deaths Surpass Gun Homicides for First Time; US Sees 205% Surge in Opioid Poisoning Among Toddlers Since 1997; Overdoses, Falls Fuel Rise of Preventable Deaths by Unintentional Injury, CDC Says; US Surgeon General Issues Call to Action in Fight Against Opioid, Alcohol Abuse; Opioids May Not Help Chronic Wound Patients Heal, Study Shows; The Opioid Epidemic’s Geographic Footprint: 4 Things to Know; 1 in 3 Long-Term Opioid Users Say They’re Addicted: 3 Survey Takeaways; Treating Pain Amid the Opioid Epidemic: 4 Questions With University of Tennessee Medical Center’s CMO; Hospital & Health System CNO, CMO and Chief Quality Officer Moves Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

2016

November 2016 Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clinical Quality

Infection Control in the US: 2016 Year in Review; Meridian Health Launches Quality Reporting Website in Name of Transparency, Improvement; Readmissions Past 7 Days May Be Out of Hospitals' Control; Community Health Workers Can Help Reduce Hospital Readmissions; Safety-Net Hospitals See Decline in Readmissions Despite Policy Challenges; Addressing 30-Day Readmissions of PCI Patients May Not Improve Mortality Rates; To Lower Readmissions, Invest in These 6 Occupational Therapy Interventions; Every State But 1 Lowered Hospital Readmissions Since 2010, CMS Data Show; Should Readmission Rates Be Used to Measure Hospital Quality? Study Casts Doubt; Through the Eyes of the Patient: Looking Beyond HCAHPS to Improve Patient Experience; Beyond Surveys: 3 Strategies to Enhance Patient Experience Measurement; Hospitals With High Patient Experience Star Ratings Don’t Have Better Outcomes, New Analysis Finds; Hospital Beds’ Antibiotic History Can Put Future Patients at Risk for C. diff; Many Superbug Deaths in US Go Uncounted: 4 Things to Know; Physicians Prescribe Wrong Antibiotics Half of the Time; Antibiotic Resistance Detected in Cluster of Gonorrhea Infections; Poultry Meat Can Spread MRSA to Humans, Study Shows; Los Angeles County Now Requires Hospitals to Report CRE Infections; UN Makes Historic Move on Antibiotic Resistance: 5 Things to Know; Are Hospital Sinks Doing More Harm Than Good? Successfully Choosing New Hand Hygiene Products: 4 Key Points; Specific Type of Heater-Cooler Linked to Life-Threatening Infections, CDC Warns: 9 Things to Know; Should Patients Fear Friday Surgeries?; Ambulances Could Be Bacterial Infection Source; Nurses’ Scrubs Likely Aid Spread of Germs to Patients, Study Finds; How Much Hand Sanitizer is Enough?; Study: Risk of Patient Identification Errors ‘Ever-Present’; Audits and Feedback or Incentives: Which Will Boost Hand Hygiene Compliance More?; Leapfrog Releases Fall Hospital Safety Grades: 5 Things to Know; Where Are the 20 Leapfrog F Hospitals?; CMS Updates Overall Star Ratings: What’s Changed?; Hospital Quality Measures Need Work: Mass General Experts Weigh In; Dr. Peter Pronovost: ‘Patients Deserve Quality Measures That Are More Science, Less Sausage-Making’; Consumer Hospital Rankings May Draw on False Data, Study Finds. Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

September 2016 Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clinical Quality

Safety Stand-Down: How Borrowing a Military Practice Boosted This Hospital's Hand Hygiene Compliance to 94%; What Does It Take to Be a CMS 5-Star Hospital? Hoag Orthopedic CEO Shares His Hospital's Approach; To Target Patient Experience Improvement Efforts, Get the Patient Involved; Safeguarding the Healthcare Environment Against Clostridium difficile: Products, Protocols and Planning for the Future; How Adopting a Rigid Tray Container System Can Increase Efficiencies & Provide Patient Safety; CMS Releases Overall Hospital Star Ratings: 12 Things to Know; Where Are the 102 Hospitals That Received 5 Stars From CMS?; Where Are the Hospitals That Received 1 Star From CMS?; US News Names 20 Hospitals to Its Honor Roll: 6 Things to Know; How Did CMS Rate US News’ 20 Honor Roll Hospitals?; Hospitals Disposing of Organs, Refusing Transplants to Maintain Federal Performance Ratings; CMS Penalizes 2.6k Hospitals for High Readmissions: 5 Statistics; The 49 Hospitals Facing the Highest Readmission Penalties From Medicare; Study: Medication Reconciliation Programs Halve Hospital Readmissions — 6 Findings; Nearly 20% of Hospitalized Patients Are Released With Unstable Vital Signs; Older Patients’ Loss of Independence Linked to Higher Readmission, Death Rates; 30% of Children’s Hospital Readmissions May Be Preventable; Accidental Zika Infection at Pittsburgh Lab; Initiatives Aimed at Lowering Hospital Admissions Also Lower Readmissions, Study Finds; New App Could Lead to Big Savings by Reducing Readmissions; Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Can Cause HAIs, but How Do They Come Into the Hospital?; 3 Ways to Get Safe Surgical Attire Protocol to Stick; Brazil Reports First Case of Superbug Resistant to Last-Resort Antibiotics; AORN Responds to ACS’ New Surgeon Dress Code Statement; American College of Surgeons Issues New Dress Code; Should Antimicrobial Curtains Be Cleaned Between Patients?; Traditional Hand Hygiene Audits Exaggerate Compliance Gap Between Nurses, Physicians; Chlorhexidine Bathing Can Reduce MRSA Acquisition in ICUs, Study Finds; Which Factor is Associated With Hand Hygiene Compliance —Age or Physician Specialty?; Is Household Decolonization of MRSA Effective?; FDA: Custom Ultrasonics’ AERs Can Be Used for Cleaning Flexible Endoscopes, But Not Duodenoscopes; Too Much of a Good Thing? Not Possible for Hand Hygiene Compliance, Study Finds; 3 Key Risk Factors for Patientto-Patient Transmission of Resistant Bacteria; 9-Step Infection Prevention Bundle Halves Spine Surgery SSIs; Ineffective Receptionists Linked With Lower Patient Satisfaction; Patient Caregivers More Critical of Hospital Experience Than Patients Themselves: 4 Takeaways; To What Extent Does Hourly Rounding Impact Patient Experience Scores?; 4 Statistics on HCAHPS Vender Use, Satisfaction; Top 55 Hospitals Patients Would Definitely Recommend. Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

July 2016 Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clinical Quality

100 Patient Safety Benchmarks | 2016; Medical Errors Are No. 3 Cause of Death in the US; The Electronic Hand Hygiene Compliance System You Can Trust to Drive Clinical Outcomes; Preventable Medical Errors Are on the Decline — 4 Possible Reasons Why; Most Readmissions Aren’t Linked to Suboptimal Care, Study Finds; 74% of Physicians, Health Plan Executives Say Quality Measures Are Too Complex; CMS Officials to Hospitals: Stop Misusing HCAHPS Measures; CMS Overall Star Ratings Have ‘Several Shortcomings,’ Analysis Finds; US News Changes Quality Measurements for Upcoming Hospital Rankings: 5 Things to Know; CDC Confirms Zika Causes Microcephaly; Protecting Health Workers From Zika Transmission During Labor: 5 Things to Know; 6 Cases of Zika-Related Birth Defects Reported in US; CDC Prepared to Deploy Rapid Response Teams When Zika Becomes Transmitted Locally in US; Study Finds Zika Virus May Affect Infants Without Microcephaly; Zika May Be Transmittable Through Oral Sex; Accidental Zika Infection at Pittsburgh Lab; Boston Hospitals Report Uptick in Patients Arriving With Zika Concerns; Zika Q&A: Miami Infectious Disease Expert Shares Thoughts on the Virus; WHO Doubles Suggested Abstinence Period After Traveling to Active Zika Zones; Elizabethkingia Outbreak Update: 7 Questions With the Wisconsin Department of Health Services; Ditch the Flowers and Balloons: Why Hospitals Want Families to Leave Gifts at Home; Researchers Identify Effective New MRSA Decolonization Protocol; Gloves Transfer Bacteria Between Hospital Surfaces, Study Finds; Body-Worn Hand Hygiene System Increases Hand Decontamination; Hawthorne Effect Influences Hand Hygiene Rates, New Study Shows; Posting Gross Pictures of Bacteria at Hand-Washing Stations Increases Compliance; Where is the Sink? Poor Location Contributes to Low Hand Hygiene Compliance; Which Factor is Associated With Hand Hygiene Compliance —Age or Physician Specialty?; Medical Errors Are No. 3 Cause of Death in the US; Here Are the Conditions That Kill Most Americans, According to the CDC; CDC Warns US Hospitals of Emerging, Deadly Yeast Infection: 7 Things to Know; Central Line Infection Prevention Bundle Reduces CLABSIs Among Newborns; Hospital Worker Cellphones Are Hotbeds for Fungus, Study Finds; IDSA Updates Guidance for Invasive Mold Infections: 5 Things to Know; Hospitals Need to Step Up Cellphone Cleaning Protocol, Study Finds; FDA, CDC Warn Hospitals of Multistate Burkholderia Bacteria Outbreak; 20% of Hospitals Don’t Have a Policy to Handle ‘Never Events’; National Collaboration Shows Promise for CAUTI Reduction; Clostridium difficile: Is PCR Too Sensitive?; CMS’ Proposed Rule for Hospitals: Reduce Antibiotic Use or Exit Medicare; Antibiotic Stewardship Programs at VA Facilities: 6 Things to Know; NQF, CDC Release Practical Antibiotic Stewardship Playbook: 6 Things to Know; Study: Antibiotic Stewardship Programs Linked to Lower Antibiotic Use, Fewer Infections; Untreatable Superbug Makes Its Way to US for First Time: 6 Things to Know; Colistin-Resistant E. coli is Carried by Seagulls, Researchers Suggest; Pond-Dwelling Virus May Combat Antibiotic Resistance; With New Incentives, Pharma Ramping Up Antibiotic Development; 4 Takeaways From CDC Health Alert on Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs; It May be Safe for Physicians to Prescribe Fewer Antibiotics, Researchers Say. Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

May / June 2016 Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clinical Quality

50 Experts Leading the Field of Patient Safety; Joint Commission, NQF Announce Eisenberg Patient Safety & Quality Award Winners;A Portrait of Patient Safety Leadership: Dr. Ronald Wyatt, Joint Commission's New Patient Safety Officer; The Role of Nurses in Triple Aim; CDC’s 3-Step Hand-Washing Technique or WHO’s 6-Step Technique: Which is Most Effective?; Is it Possible to Truly Observe Compliance to WHO’s 5 Moments of Hand Hygiene?; Quality Improvement, Hand Hygiene Initiatives Needed in Outpatient Settings, Study Finds; Hand Hygiene-Related Screen Savers May Boost Compliance: 5 Study Findings; Good Hand Hygiene Key in Slowing Down Antibiotic Resistance; Nurses Face Far More Hand Hygiene Opportunities Than Physicians, Study Finds; Patients Transfer MDROs to Post-Acute Facilities Via Their Hands; Why Every Surface Matters: The Importance of Total Room Disinfection; ECRI Institute’s 10 Top Patient Safety Concerns; Researchers Say Current Hepatitis C Testing Guidelines Overlook Many Cases; WHO Issues New Hepatitis C Infection Treatment Guidelines; 65 Top Hospitals for Physician Communication; The Chronic Problem of Communication: Why It’s a Patient Safety Issue and How Hospitals Can Address It; Consumer Reports Ranks Hospitals on C-Sections, Finds 60% Miss National Mark; Care Quality and Clinical Outcomes Vary Considerably for Colonoscopies; Where Are the 15 Leapfrog F hospitals?; A Grades Up, F Grades Down in Updated Leapfrog Hospital Safety Scores: 5 Things to Know; Senior Patients Frequently Prescribed Inappropriate Drugs Upon Discharge; 4 Factors That Empower Employees to Speak Up About Safety Culture;Reducing Healthcare Associated Infections Makes Good Sense: Medically and Financially; These 7 Surgical Procedures Account for Most Complications, Deaths and Costs; NIH Program Seeks to Reduce Health Disparities in Surgical Outcomes; Surgery Program Directors Say Flexible Hours for Residents Improve Education, Patient Safety; AORN Campaign Aims to ‘Clear’ Hazardous Smoke From ORs; Study Finds Surgeon Skill Doesn’t Affect Long-Term Outcomes of Bariatric Surgery; Hypothermia During Surgery Associated With Greater Infection Risk; Patients Undergoing Bladder Cancer Surgery are at Major Risk for Blood Clots, Study Finds; Feds Seek Information on Concurrent Surgeries at 20 Medical Facilities: 6 Things to Know; New Guidelines Say Surgeons Should Inform Patients of Concurrent Procedures; 2 New Jersey Hospitals Unite Against C. diff; 10 States Making the Most Progress in the Fight Against HAIs; UTI Intervention Remains Successful for 8 Years, Study Finds; 5 Highlights From the CDC’s Annual HAI Progress Report;C. diff Transmission in Hospitalized Patients, Asymptomatic Carriers and Community Sources; Research Reveals C. diff is More Common in Community Than Previously Realized; Central Line Care Maintenance Bundle Improves Catheter Dressing Care, Study Finds; MRSA Antibiotic Susceptibility Changing in Pediatric Patients, Study Finds; Research Says Skin Tests to Predict Allergies to Antibiotics are Ineffective; Refining Data Capture Techniques to Enhance Efficiency, Patient Safety; CMS 5-Star Hospitals Have Lower Mortality and Readmission Rates, Study Finds; Study Suggests Yelp can Supplement the Federal Government’s Survey of Patients’ Hospital Experiences; CMS Delays Overall Hospital Star Ratings Release: 4 Things to Know; Experts Suggest 3 Ways the US Can Improve Healthcare Quality Measurement; The Evolution of the CXO: 5 Findings; 10 Hospitals Getting the Most Positive Buzz on Twitter; The Persistence of CIED Infections: A Progress Report on Improving Outcomes and Lowering Costs. Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

March / April 2016 Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clinical Quality

Nurses — The closest thing to a silver bullet in boosting hand hygiene compliance; Checking in after an outbreak: Q&A with Dr. Andrew Ross on how Virginia Mason overhauled its medical scope reprocessing practices; 5 thing to know about communication errors, nurses and patient safety; The eyes have it: Using visual stimuli boosts hand hygiene compliance; Compliance falls shortest on WHO's fifth moment of hand hygiene: 3 study findings; Memorial Hermann reduces HAIs with hand hygiene tool; Flashing lights improve hand hygiene compliance, study finds; Putting hand sanitizer in high-traffic areas ups use 528%; Are hand dryers doing more harm than good? 5 things to know; 5 thing to know about communication errors, nurses and patient safety; High nurse staffing ratios linked with reduced patient mortality: 3 study findings; Less than 20% of nurses comply with standard precautions for infection prevention Magnet-recognized hospitals for nursing have better surgical outcomes; Evidence-based healthcare: Not a top priority for hospitals, survey of nurses finds; Combat UV light disinfection misconceptions with just one step; 4 key elements of early sepsis recognition and response; Predictive preventive model reduces C. diff cases in ICU: 3 study findings; Can chlorhexidine wipes prevent drug-resistant HAIs in the ICU?; Sepsis redefined: JAMA articles update guidance for the first time since 2001; How clean is clean-shaven? Study finds beardless healthcare workers carry more bacteria on their faces; Major C. diff hospital collaboration reduces infections by 36 percent; Checking in after an outbreak: Q&A with Dr. Andrew Ross on how Virginia Mason overhauled its medical scope reprocessing practices; 6 best practices from AORN's forthcoming endoscope reprocessing guidelines; Rigid containers vs. wrapped instrument trays: Which offers better protection from bacteria?; 4 strategies to prevent unintended retention of foreign objects; Dr. Peter Pronovost: 9 necessary patient safety growth areas; Top 10 sentinel events in 2015; What can hospitals do to take a stand against antibiotic resistance? Inside the University of Chicago Medical Center's stewardship program; CDC, American College of Physicians issue new guidelines on antibiotic prescription; Behavioral 'nudges' help reduce antibiotic prescriptions among physicians; VA leads the way in antibiotic stewardship efforts: 5 things to know; Serving antibiotic-free meat proves difficult for some hospitals; Research highlights how antibiotics enable C. diff infections; Antiseptic baths in ICUs shown to not increase drug-resistance in MRSA; 7 recent hospital and health system CNO, CMO moves; Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

January / February 2016 Issue of Becker's Infection Control and Clinical Quality

Nurses — The closest thing to a silver bullet in boosting hand hygiene compliance; The eyes have it: Using visual stimuli boosts hand hygiene compliance; Compliance falls shortest on WHO's fifth moment of hand hygiene: 3 study findings; Memorial Hermann reduces HAIs with hand hygiene tool; Flashing lights improve hand hygiene compliance, study finds; Putting hand sanitizer in high-traffic areas ups use 528%; Are hand dryers doing more harm than good? 5 things to know; 5 thing to know about communication errors, nurses and patient safety; High nurse staffing ratios linked with reduced patient mortality: 3 study findings; Less than 20% of nurses comply with standard precautions for infection prevention; Magnet-recognized hospitals for nursing have better surgical outcomes; Evidence-based healthcare: Not a top priority for hospitals, survey of nurses finds; Combat UV light disinfection misconceptions with just one step; 4 key elements of early sepsis recognition and response; Predictive preventive model reduces C. diff cases in ICU: 3 study findings; Can chlorhexidine wipes prevent drug-resistant HAIs in the ICU?; Sepsis redefined: JAMA articles update guidance for the first time since 2001; How clean is clean-shaven? Study finds beardless healthcare workers carry more bacteria on their faces; Major C. diff hospital collaboration reduces infections by 36 percent; Checking in after an outbreak: Q&A with Dr. Andrew Ross on how Virginia Mason overhauled its medical scope reprocessing practices; 6 best practices from AORN's forthcoming endoscope reprocessing guidelines; Rigid containers vs. wrapped instrument trays: Which offers better protection from bacteria?;  4 strategies to prevent unintended retention of foreign objects; Dr. Peter Pronovost: 9 necessary patient safety growth areas; Top 10 sentinel events in 2015; What can hospitals do to take a stand against antibiotic resistance? Inside the University of Chicago Medical Center's stewardship program; CDC, American College of Physicians issue new guidelines on antibiotic prescription; Behavioral 'nudges' help reduce antibiotic prescriptions among physicians; VA leads the way in antibiotic stewardship efforts: 5 things to know; Serving antibiotic-free meat proves difficult for some hospitals; Research highlights how antibiotics enable C. diff infections; Antiseptic baths in ICUs shown to not increase drug-resistance in MRSA; 7 recent hospital and health system CNO, CMO moves; Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

2015

November / December 2015 Issue of Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality

Infection control in the US: 2015 year in review; 3 CMOs, CQOs on the 'biggest win' for patients this year; Hand hygiene in 2015: 7 findings; Get away from the 'fluff' and 3 other thoughts on improving patient experience; 10 most common patient complaints, grievances with hospitals; Geisinger to begin offering refunds to unsatisfied patients; Number of 5-star hospitals decreases dramatically in CMS Hospital Compare update; 1 in 6 patients choose a one-star hospital: 6 new findings from Healthgrades; Trading in pens and paper for a 21st century hand hygiene monitoring system; Which advertising strategy prompts hand hygiene compliance most?;Hospital finds hand hygiene compliance goes up after eliminating mandatory glove use; 3 findings on how hand hygiene signage influences patient perception; Combating sepsis with real-time intelligence; Medication errors occur in half of all surgeries: 7 study findings; Despite limited resources, hospitals make antibiotic stewardship program headway: 7 survey findings; Researchers discover way to treat wound infections without antibiotics; 5 essential components of a successful antibiotic stewardship program; Scientists urge hospitals to purchase antibiotic-free meat only; 3 elements every C. diff management approach should include; Ebola preparedness still lags, despite apparent confidence boost among US hospitals; Launderable mattress covers reduce C. diff infections in study: 5 things to know; How 2 Hospitals Used Pulsed Xenon UV Disinfection to Slash HAI Rates; Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

September / October 2015 Issue of Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality

What Leads to High HCAHPS Scores? Survey Uncovers Best Practices From HighPerforming Hospitals; 45 Hospitals with the Quietest Patient Rooms; How Atlantic Health Created a Healing Culture, Improved Patient Experience; How Improving Sterile Supply Management in the OR can Reduce Infections and Readmissionsand Readmissions; Child HCAHPS Now Available to Measure Pediatric Patient Experience; How 3 Hospitals are Addressing Patients’ Noise Complaints; Number of 5-Star Hospitals Increases in CMS’ Hospital Compare Data Update; How Can Changes Made in the OR Positively Affect Patient Satisfaction?; 10 Things to Know About the Jefferson College of Population Health; Who is Overseeing Population Health Management? 3 Things to Know; Focusing Population Health Efforts to Build Future Value: 5 Steps; Preventing Patient Infections: Common CHG Bathing Questions, Answered; How St. Luke’s Boise Successfully Switched Cleaners, Lowered C. Diff Rates; Researchers Debunk Myth About the Most Severe C. Diff Strain; Which 9 Hospitals Reported Zero C. Diff and MSRA Infections?; Respiratory Infections May Spread Via Personal Clothing, Study Finds; CDC Report Outlines New Approach for HAI Reduction; 10 Interesting Developments in Hand Hygiene; Hand Sanitizer Use: What Spots are Missed Most Often by Healthcare Workers?; Your Mobile Phone May Be ‘Patient Zero’ for Hospital Infections; Cleveland Clinic Calls Out Infection Control Risk of Germy Cell Phones; Most Healthcare Workers Improperly Remove Protective Equipment; Women Outdo Men in Workplace Hand Hygiene; Probiotics Could Prevent Fatal Sepsis, Other Infections: 7 Study Findings; New Algorithm Can Help Detect Sepsis Faster; Research Links Liver to Pneumonia, Sepsis Susceptibility; 7 Latest Patient Safety Tools; Hospital & Health System CMO, CNO and Chief Quality Officer Moves; Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

July/August 2015 Issue of Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality

100 Patient Safety Benchmarks | 2015; Beyond the Burning Platform: A Recipe for Continuous Quality Improvement; What Makes an ‘Ideal’ Chief Quality Officer?; How Improving Sterile Supply Management in the OR can Reduce Infections and Readmissions and ; Are Patient Satisfaction Surveys Doing More Harm Than Good?; New Online Benchmarking Engine Allows Hospitals to Compare Themselves to PeersPeers; Quality Improvement Efforts Reduce Malpractice Claims, Researchers Find; Don’t Wait for Chance: 5 Steps to Purposefully Make Innovative Ideas Work; ‘More Hands on Deck, More Often’ may not Improve Quality of Care, Study Suggests; Top 45 Hospitals Patients Would ‘Definitely’ Recommend; Infection Prevention and Housekeeping: A Collaboration of Equals;Presurgical MRSA Screening Can Help Decrease SSIs, Study Finds; SSI Risk Factors: 3 Main Categories; As Temperatures Rise in the Summer, So Do Common SSIs; Physicians, Nurses Disagree on When to Test for C. diff: 11 Risk Factors; Where are C. diff Rates Highest in the US?; Does Product Placement in the ED Influence Hand Hygiene Performance? 6 Study Findings6 Study Findings; 1 in 4 Hospitals Need to Improve Hand Hygiene Practices, Says Leapfrog: 5 Report Findings; Which States’ Hospitals Have the Best, Worst Hand Hygiene Practices?; Gamification Yields ‘Significant Improvement’ in Nurse Hand Hygiene Compliance; Automated Training System Improves Hand Hygiene Technique, but Not Compliance; 9 Hospitals Named Regional Ebola, Other Special Pathogen Treatment Centers; 11 Patient Safety Tools Published in 2015; UV Light Disinfection: Combat 4 Misconceptions With 1 Step; Hospital & Health System CMO, CNO and Chief Quality Officer Moves; Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

May/June 2015 Issue of Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality

50 Experts Leading the Field of Patient; How the VA, HCA  Dramatically Reduced MRSA Infections; Zero Injuries From  Patient Falls: One  Hospital Demonstrates How It’s Possible; Hospital & Health System CMO, CNO & Chief Quality Officer Moves; Remedy From Ancient Textbook Could Cure MRSA, Scientists Find; Cigarette Smoke Makes MRSA More Aggressive, Study Finds; SHEA Updates Hospital Visitor Recommendations to Limit Spread of Disease; Dogs Rule, and Other Infection Control Guidance for Animal Visits to Hospitals; Study Uncovers 3 Main Risk Factors for CAUTIs; A Better Prescription for Minimizing HAIs: 8 Components of High-Performing Infection Prevention and Control Programs; Patient Engagement in HAI Reduction Strategies: 3 Takeaways; 8 Ways to Prevent Duodenoscope Infections; Just Because You are Using a Disinfectant Doesn’t Mean You are Disinfecting: The Business Case for Improving Infection Prevention; How One Product Can Help Sterile Processing Departments Achieve Efficiency; Which States Have the Most CMS 5-Star Hospitals?; 7 Procedures Where Patient Safety Events Occur Most Often; Trends in Patient Experience Scores: 5 Takeaways; 5 Ways Hospitals Can Combat the ‘Weekend Effect’; Risk of Patient Harm in Hospitals Spikes on the Weekends; 4 Common Surgical Attire Safety Issues; Hand Hygiene Compliance Lags in Hospital Reception Areas, Study Finds; Direct Observation Dramatically Boosts Hand Hygiene Compliance; Study: Following the Hand Hygiene Leader; Handwashing Among Healthcare Workers Leads to Rise in Dermatitis; Hand Hygiene Compliance Can Cause Dermatitis: 5 Tips to Avoid It; 10 Most Popular Patient Safety Tools; Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

March/April 2015 Issue of Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality

Hand Hygiene Compliance: An Internationally Shared Mission; How to Prioritize Patient-Centeredness: Q&A With Planetree’s Dr. Susan Frampton; Hand Hygiene in 2015: Embrace the New Number; Hospital & Health System CMO, CNO & Chief Quality Officer Moves; What Causes Hand Hygiene Noncompliance? 24 Issues; Vibrating Badges Remind Clinicians to Wash Hands; Target Specific Noncompliance Issues to Improve Hand Hygiene Adherence; Hand Hygiene Adherence Extremely Low in the OR; Face Touching is a Habit: Raise Awareness to Raise Hand Hygiene Compliance; Care Coordination and Technology: The Keys to Improving Post-Discharge Care;5 Important Patient Safety Supplies for Hospitals; 5 Ways to Prevent Infection Spread in Waiting Rooms; 10 Recommendations on How to Increase Transparency, Improve Patient Safety; How to Safely Reprocess Scopes Tied to CRE Infections: Experts Weigh In; Executive Briefing: How to Quell the Rising Trend of CIED Infections; 10 Popular Hand Hygiene Tools; Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

January/February 2015 Issue of Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality

10 Top Paitent Safety Issues for 2015; Taking Hand Hygiene High-Tech; Employee Rights vs. Patient Safety: Balancing Mandatory Flu Shots; ECRI Institute: Top 10 Technology Patient Safety Hazards; Patient Harms Fall 17% Since 2010: Are Federal Incentives Working?; The 5 Most-Reduced Patient Harm Events; 790 Hospitals Earn "A" Patient Safety Grades From Leapfrog; Physicians Rarely Apologize After Patient Adverse Events, Survey Finds; 721 Hospitals Penalized by Medicare for High Hospital-Acquired Conditions Rates; 10 States Hit Hardest by Medicare Hospital Infection Fines; What Drives a Patient to Report a Medical Error?; AORN's New Surgical Attire Reccomended Practices: 5 Points to Know; Bridging the Gap: Establishing UV Claims for Emerging Pathogens; How Should Hospitals Disinfect Bedside Electronics; Hand Dryers vs Paper Towels: Study Ends Debate; 7 Ways to Improve Hand Hygiene, From Hospial Managers; 4 Areas to Focus on for Improved Hand Hygiene; 'Self-Cleaning' Surface Technology Reduces HAIs; FDA Approves New Antibiotic; Disinfectant Caps Lower CLABSI Cases and Costs; The 5 Most Prepared for Infectious Disease Outbreaks; Infection Control in the US: 2014 Year in Review; Patient Safety Toolkit; Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue.

2014

November/December 2014 Issue of Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality

The Current State of Antibiotic Resistance; 20 Hospitals with Great Hand Hygiene Program; 10 Statistics on Patient Safety Culture; Taking the OR from Good to Great; 100 Infection Control Products to Know;Top 10 Sentinel Events in 2014; Jazz Music: The New Post-Op Pain Management Treatment?; Are you addressing the hidden issue affecting more patients at a greater cost than VAP?; Patient Safety Toolkit; Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue

September/October 2014 Issue of Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality

Bringing Nurses Back to the Bedside: How Novant Health Tripled Direct Patient Care Time; Are You Misuing the Term ‘Population Health?’; Inside the One C. Diff Vaccine Focusing on Prevention, Not Treatment; 10 Expert-Recommended Hand Hygiene Practices; MRSA-Fighting Drug Approved by FDA; Updated Guidelines for Skin, Soft Tissue Infections; Clinical App Provides Antimicrobial Usage Guidelines at Point of Care; Hospital Elevator Buttons More Germy Than Bathrooms; How one facility improved hand hygiene compliance 50%; 36 Approaches to Reducing 9 Common Medical Errors; A New Soldier in the War Against HAIs: UV Robots; 13 Most Common Healthcare-Associated Infections; 20 patient safety tools; Why One Hospital Thanks the Ritz-Carlton for Low Readmission Rates; Study: 40% of Critical Information Omitted During Morning Handovers; Which Cities Have the Highest Hospital Readmission Rates?; Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue

July 2014 Issue of Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality

100 Patient Safety Benchmarks — 2014; Advocate Health Care’s 5 Keys to Patient Safety; CHE Trinity Health’s 4 Steps to Implementing Evidence-Based Guidelines; The ‘Surgical Home’ Solution:Facing Increasing Penalties, ORs Seek a Comprehensive Approach to Quality Improvement; Improving Health Outcomes at Cedars-Sinai; Experts Update CAUTI Prevention & Treatment Guidelines; The 4 Characteristics of a Strong Safety Culture; 50 Statistics on State CAUTI Rates; What Areas is Healthcare Quality Improving? Worsening? 10 quality measures on the rise, and eight on the decline; 11 Tips for Reducing SSIs; Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue

March/ April 2014 Issue of Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality

The Road to Eliminating HAIs: Hand Hygiene Improvement at Cedars-Sinai; Tackling Diabetes Management at Catholic Health Partners; High-Price Doesn’t Mean High-Quality for Hospitals; Patient Navigators Facilitate Successful Chronic Care, Study Finds; Decision-Making, Lack of Knowledge Tank Hand Hygiene Compliance; Study: Hot Water Unnecessary for Handwashing; 20% of U.S. Hospitals Missing Critical Hand Hygiene Station:  5 Strategies for Extracting More Value From Patient Warming; BMC Pilot Program Achieves 89% Alarm Reduction in Alarm Rates; ‘Aggressive’ Care Reduces Mortality of Hip Replacement Patients Without Affecting Cost; Cardiac-Related Adverse Events Decline From 2005-2011; When Readmission Programs Fail, What’s Next?; Patient Safety Toolkit; Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue 

January/ February 2014 Issue of Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality

Top 10 Patient Safety Issues for 2014; Reducing Readmissions: How a MacArthur ‘Genius’ is Revolutionizing Care in One of the Most Dangerous Towns in America; 5 Joint Commission Hospital Accreditation Survey Mistakes to Avoid; Study: Medical Error Deaths 4.5 Times More Likely Than IOM Estimate; Limited Research Need Not Deter From Involving Patients in Hand Hygiene; Study: Financial Incentives Boost Hand Hygiene Compliance; Study: MRSA Screening Lacks Evidence; 11 Barriers to Hand Hygiene Compliance; Study: Don’t Wash Hands Before Donning Gloves; Study: Obesity Linked to C. diff Infection Risk; 24% of Healthcare Workers Carry C. diff on Hands After Disinfecting; Study: 57% of Hospitalists Forgot About a Catheter; Putting the “E” in HygiEne; Implementing and Sustaining Best Practices in Mobile Equipment Disinfection; 7 Ideas for Improving Sepsis Management; Patient Safety Toolkit; A Look Inside the One of the Country’s Safest Hospitals; Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue 

2013

September/October 2013 Issue of Becker's Clinical Quality and Infection Control

100 Patient Safety Benchmarks; 9 Best Practices for Implementing Evidence-Based Guidelines; 4 Tips to Implement a Transparent Medical Error Disclosure Policy; 9 Best Practices for Implementing Evidence-Based Guidelines; Letting Physicians Take the Lead: Q&A With Scripps Health CMO Dr. James LaBelle; A Revenue Leak Soon Turns to Flood: How Payment Penalties for High Infection Rates Could Drain Hospital Finances; 5 Strategies to Combat Antibiotic- Resistant Bacteria; Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue

May 2013 Issue of Becker's Clinical Quality and Infection Control

50 Experts Leading the Field of Patient Safety; How Can Healthcare Organizations Measure “Soft” Aspects of Patient Safety?; Turning Healthcare in to a High Reliability Industry: Memorial Hermann Shares 5 Steps; The U.S. Health Disadvantage: A Crisis That We Must Address Together Today; Patient Experience Roundtable: Raising and Maintaining Patient Satisfaction; The Secret to Better Infection Control Compliance: Move Beyond Secret Shoppers; Study: Hand Hygiene Poster Increased Likelihood of Washing Hands; 13 Practical Steps to Prevent HAIs; Report: U.S. Made Little Progress on Readmission Rates 2008-2010; Study: Income Inequality Linked to Higher Readmissions; Avoidable Readmissions by Numbers: 8 Statistics; Palliative Care: Why It Has Become a Growing Specialty Within Hospital; Top 10 Most Common Sentinel Events; Top 58 Hospitals Patients Rated 9 or 10 in HCAHPS  Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue    

February 2013 Issue of Becker's Clinical Quality and Infection Control

10 Top Patient Safety Issues for 2013; 5 Tips on Engaging Physicians in Major Process Changes; 10 Guiding Principles for Patient-Centered Care; Turning Heart Failure Into Heart Success: Transitioning CHF Patients to Home; Study: Wide Variation in Implementation of Strategies to Reduce Readmissions; Study Finds Social Factors Linked to Hospital Readmissions, Mortality; How Health Systems Can Create a Robust, Enterprise-Wide Patient Safety Program; Report: Top Academic Medical Centers Have High Variation in Care Practices; Study: Higher Patient Satisfaction is Linked to Lower Hospital Readmissions; The Joint Commission to Add 2 Medical/Surgical Hospital Requirements; CMS to Develop Survey on Patient Experience in the ED; Study: 37% of Physicians Give in to Patients’ Demands for Brand-Name Drugs; Study: Surgery Generally More Cost-Effective Than Radiation for Prostate Cancer; Surgeons Make Preventable Mistakes 4,000 Times a Year, Study Says; Hospital Cleaning Protocol Has Limited Effect on Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria; 6 Risk Factors for Central Venous Catheter-Related Blood Stream Infections; Strategies to Prevent Multidrug-Resistant Organism Outbreaks; Study: 26% of C. Diff Patients Received Only Unnecessary Antimicrobials; 7 Hospital and Health System CEOs: What Disruptive Innovation Means to Me; Which Hospital Markets Had the Best 2013 Value-Based Purchasing Results?; 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage Patients in Their Care; Population Health Management is a Two-Way Street: Encouraging Patient Engagement; Database of Downloadable Safety and Quality Tools & Resources Now Available; 51 Hospitals With the Lowest 30-Day Mortality Rates For Pneumonia; Click here to view the featured stories and download a pdf of the issue