November/December Clinical Leadership & Infection Control Issue
ON THE COVER
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 2nd 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.
INFECTION CONTROL & PATIENT SAFETY
New Jersey hospital nurses improperly sedated patients with Benadryl, lawsuit claims
A nurse at Long Branch, N.J.-based Monmouth Medical Center alleges her boss retaliated against her for reporting that nurses were improperly sedating patients in the hospital’s psychiatric unit, reported the Asbury Park Press.
Beaumont Hospital listed dying man as ‘John Doe,’ despite identification, family says
A group of adult siblings said they were unable to locate their dying father after Beaumont Hospital, Dearborn (Mich.) listed him as a John Doe, even though he had identification with him, according to local CNN affiliate WXYZ.
Unattended ER patient dies at Pennsylvania hospital
A patient died at WellSpan York (Pa.) Hospital’s emergency department after being left unattended for more than an hour, according to a state inspection report cited by York Daily Record.
Cases of 3 STDs reach all-time high in the US
Cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia in the U.S. reached an all-time high in 2018, according to a CDC report released Oct. 8.
Flu season may impede investigation of vaping illnesses
The 2019-20 flu season could complicate efforts to diagnose and track vaping-related lung illnesses in the U.S., health experts told STAT.
PATIENT EXPERIENCE
Physician’s communication style can influence HPV vaccine rates, study finds
Physicians can improve HPV vaccination rates through better communication practices, according to a study published in Pediatrics.
Why few pediatricians discuss meningitis B vaccine with patients
Many pediatricians are missing out on opportunities to discuss the meningitis B vaccine with teen patients and their parents, reported The Washington Post.
How to guarantee the best patient satisfaction survey scores
If administered at the right time and analyzed correctly, consumer evaluations can not only demonstrate
how likely users are to recommend an organization’s services, but also uncover operational vulnerabilities, according to Harvard Business Review.
Why UCSF Health’s patient initiatives don’t feel like the flavor of the month
Susan Pappas, division director, UCSF Health Experience 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.
Recordings of mom’s voice help NICU infants stay asleep
Infants who require specialized care sleep better in the neonatal intensive care unit when they are played recordings of their mothers’ voices, according to a study published in Pediatrics.
ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE & STEWARDSHIP
Sepsis patients should get blood culture before antibiotics, study suggests
Physicians should take at least one blood culture from sepsis patients before administering antibiotics, as the therapy can create less reliable test results, according to a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
US-led push against antibiotic resistance adds hundreds of global supporters
Since it was launched in 2018, the United States’ AMR Challenge has gathered nearly 350 commitments from 33 countries to implement specific actions to combat antibiotic resistance.
Widespread use of 4 antibiotics tied to higher C. diff risk
Facility wide use of four antibiotic classes is linked to a higher risk of Clostridium difficile infections, according to a study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
Use of early-onset sepsis calculator results in fewer antibiotics for newborns
Using an early-onset sepsis calculator can substantially reduce antibiotic therapy for newborns, according to a study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
One-fifth of VA patients prescribed antibiotics at hospital discharge
Nearly 20 percent of veterans received an oral antibiotic at hospital discharge from VA facilities, according to a study published in Clinical Microbiology and Infection.
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT
Cleveland Clinic develops tool to determine diabetes patients' complication risks
Physicians at Cleveland Clinic have released a calculator for patients with type 2 diabetes to determine their risk of developing major health complications over a 10-year period depending on their treatment path.
Flu shot cuts severe outcomes for hospitalized patients, study finds
Vaccination can reduce the likelihood of severe outcomes, including death, in adults hospitalized with influenza by up to 36 percent, according to a study presented at IDWeek 2019, which took place Oct. 2-6, in Washington, D.C.
Hospitals’ fall prevention efforts cause ‘epidemic of immobility,’ expert says
Hospitals’ extreme focus on preventing falls has caused an “epidemic of immobility” among elderly patients, one health expert told The Washington Post and Kaiser Health News.
Patient portal users 50% more likely to get flu shot, study finds
Patients who use online platforms linked to EHRs are far more likely to take preventive health measures, like getting a flu shot or checking blood pressure, than patients who don’t use patient portals, according to a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
Burnout’s effect on care quality may be overstated, researchers suggest
Existing studies may exaggerate the effects of clinician burnout on care quality, according to research published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
DATA ANALYTICS & AI
Physician viewpoint: 10 areas in which AI will transform primary care
Though the integration of artificial intelligence into healthcare is moving at a cautious rate, the technology continues to offer massive potential to revolutionize care delivery and outcomes.
AI can significantly reduce ICU false alarms, study finds
A three-part system using machine learning was able to greatly reduce the number of false alarms caused by bedside monitors in the intensive care unit, a study shows.
AHA: 6 crucial components for integrating AI into healthcare workforce
With the vast majority of healthcare executives citing as a major priority the hiring and training of employees to take full advantage of artificial intelligence offerings, it is only a matter of time before AI
completely reshapes the healthcare workforce.
UCSF to launch AI center for radiology technology
University of California San Francisco announced Oct. 11 that it will open a new center focused on advancing the use of artificial intelligence in medical imaging.
Great Plains Health launches new sepsis alert protocol
North Platte, Neb.-based Great Plains Health implemented a new sepsis alert system Oct. 1, according to The North Platte Telegraph.