Editor’s note: The following column answers some data-related questions on “Patient Safety Talk,” an HCPro listserv that addresses many of the topics covered in this newsletter and i...

Several major issues have been addressed or streamlined headed into 2011, The Joint Commission stated during its recent Executive Briefings session in New York City. Many of these changes are intended...

In patient safety and quality, there is no shortage of data and information that needs to be gathered from an inpatient stay. Data are collected for compliance with federal quality-of-care measures, f...

Every September at Executive Briefings, The Joint Commission announces its most commonly cited standards for the first half of the year. 2010 is no different, and in fact saw a great deal of carryover...

Inside: Disclosure-with-offer program provides more transparent culture Changing clinician behavior proves a challenge Stories, not data, have most influence for change Lean in health...

Starting in 2011, Joint Commission surveyors will begin looking at—but not scoring—new standards for patient-centered communication. These standards were approved in December 2009 and publ...

Preventing medical errors and patient harm is a top priority for most hospitals. Physicians, nurses, and other clinicians do not enter their professions to produce poor outcomes....

Most clinicians understand the dangers multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) present to patients. Most also understand that these germs are easily spread through hands and other surfaces, and that hand...

Lean works for healthcare. It has simple concepts to learn and teach. However, Lean projects are far from easy to undertake. Accomplishing Lean requires hard work, and it is tiring. The “easy&rd...

Has your facility considered going restraint free? Have you succeeded? According to the most recent benchmarking survey conducted by the Association for Healthcare Accreditation Professionals (AHAP), ...