The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced steps to encourage physicians and other eligible professionals to take part in the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative. The program is designed to improve the quality of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries. The steps, including a variety of new reporting options, will make it easier for eligible professionals to participate and receive feedback on their performance, said CMS representatives.
A new study of four cases of MRSA infection in patients who had undergone face lift surgery warns that MRSA-positive surgical site infection "is an increasingly problematic issue in all surgical fields." The study's authors also noted that MRSA-positive infections "will be more prevalent and will require well-developed screening, prevention, and treatment strategies" in the future. MRSA is currently the leading causative pathogen in surgical site infections, as well as in skin and soft tissue infections, the study said.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has launched a new Web resource that allows users to learn, share, and adopt innovations in the delivery of health services. The resource, called the Health Care Innovations Exchange, is designed as a tool for healthcare leaders, physicians, nurses, and other health professionals who seek to reduce healthcare disparities and improve healthcare overall. The Web site is being launched with 100 examples of innovations in the delivery of healthcare services and attempts at innovation.
If we look to EHRs to address existing gaps in quality of care, it is important to provide primary care physicians in small practices with the necessary financial support and training in quality improvement so that they can successfully make the transition to EHRs, says this column at MedPageToday.com. Electronic health records are an integral part of virtually every ongoing quality improvement initiative, at both the health system and individual practitioner level, notes columnist David B. Nash, MD.
A new study finds that patients prefer to challenge nurses rather than doctors about safety issues related to their care, and women are far more prepared to speak up than men. The findings are based on a survey assessing the factors influencing patients' willingness to ask healthcare professionals questions related to safety. The results showed that patients were far more likely to ask factual questions of all healthcare professionals than they were to pose questions that might be perceived as challenging clinical abilities.
Investigators in the Netherlands have trialed methods used by forensic scientists at crime scenes to highlight infection risks in their hospital. Researchers used Luminol, a chemical used by crime scene investigators, to detect traces of blood in their haemodialysis unit. Luminol reacts with microscopic amounts of blood to produce bright blue luminescence to allow investigators to track invisible blood splashes in the environment The group of researchers suggests that Luminol could be used as part of a hospital infection control regimen, in order to highlight risks associated with the contamination of the hospital environment with blood.