These days, to spend time in the hospital is to be at risk of contracting a hospital-acquired infection. Some of these infections can be life-threatening. But there is a simple way to make that hospital stay safer, devised by Dr. Peter J. Pronovost, a physician-researcher at Johns Hopkins. The method--a five-item checklist to assure that proper precautions are taken to prevent infection--has been thoroughly tested, first at Johns Hopkins and later in 108 intensive-care units in Michigan, saving lives and reducing costs for patients who received the major fluid tube called a central venous catheter.
Death rates climbed significantly higher than expected at 12 Oregon hospitals, according to recently released state data. For example, among patients undergoing cardiac catheterization, death rates were higher than average at OHSU Hospital, Willamette Valley Medical Center in McMinnville and Merle West Medical Center in Klamath Falls. For the past three years, the Office for Oregon Health Policy and Research has posted hospital death rates for selected procedures in which there is some evidence that higher death rates may result from poorer care quality. The state's hospital quality indicators Web site also highlights hospitals' experience with procedures, such as open-heart surgery, in which more practiced centers tend to show better outcomes.
The Cleveland Clinic and its partner in a new hospital in Abu Dhabi are among the sponsors of Arab Health 2008, a giant convention in Dubai. Eight Clinic doctors, including Clinic Chief Executive Officer and President Toby Cosgrove, will speak at the event. Officials are expecting more than 50,000 health-care professionals to attend the event and to see products and services from more than 2,000 exhibitors from 65 countries.
Roselawn Lutheran Church has opened its door to host a new eye clinic in partnership with the Cincinnati Eye Institute Foundation. The volunteer-run clinic serves low-income adults who do not have health insurance coverage for vision care. The church is also home to a children's dental clinic, and has received more than $150,000 in aid and services.
Children's Hospital in Birmingham, AL expects to start using a helicopter dedicated solely to the transportation of its patients. Until recently, Children's shared a helicopter used to pick up trauma patients around the Birmingham area, but the increasing volume has made it essential for the organization to have one of its own. Last year, Children's transported about 300 children by helicopter out of its 1,000 critical care transportation patients and could have carried many more by chopper if one had been available.
Private rooms in hospitals are a trend, but in the Detroit area, there's much more than that going on, such as: concierge medicine, smart rooms, free parking, wellness centers, and natural remedies.