Harborview Medical Center was highlighted in a NPR article for its work on the early recognition of sepsis using automated alerts. Dr. David Carlbom, a critical care pulmonologist, and the medical director of the sepsis program at the Harborview Medical Center, led the charge to develop a system that pulls information from the electronic health record to flag that a patient may have sepsis. ... Read More >>

If you or a loved one gets sick or injured, do you know the right place to go for care? Would your family and friends know how and when to choose between virtual care, a clinic visit, urgent care and the emergency room (ER)? One of WSHA’s major quality and safety initiatives is ER is for Emergencies, which works to help people seek care at the right location.... Read More >>

The Washington State Department of Health has released a statement about the estimated efficacy of this year’s flu vaccine. Preliminary data estimates the vaccine to be about 36 percent effective in mitigating flu illness. ... Read More >>

This week five members of WSHA’s staff, along with colleagues from Alaska and WSHA member Three Rivers Hospital, traveled to Baltimore to participate in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ annual Quality Conference.... Read More >>

More than 300,000 patients in the United States require mechanical ventilation as a life-saving therapy annually. Complications are not uncommon, as are increased lengths of stay, high health care costs and high likelihood of readmission. ... Read More >>

WSHA has produced a short animated video highlighting the ER is for Emergencies program, which can be helpful this flu season when hospitals are seeing high volumes of patients suffering from the flu.... Read More >>

Addressing the opioid epidemic is one of WSHA’s top legislative and patient safety priorities. Together with our state’s Accountable Communities of Health, we worked to develop a template to expand access to treatment for opioid abuse in emergency departments, which is often the first point of treatment for those battling addiction. ... Read More >>

Nearly half a million American women will die this year from heart disease. It is the single highest killer of American women. But there is good news. According to the American Heart Association, more than 75 percent of these deaths may be prevented.... Read More >>

Acupuncture, tai chi, yoga, music therapy, massage and mindfulness, once considered alternative therapies, have earned the endorsement of a national task force on pain relief. Dr. Heather Tick, a clinical associate professor of family medicine and of anesthesiology and pain medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, is the lead author of the paper calling for a reform in pain treatment.... Read More >>

Researchers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) recently looked at promising practices for improving hospital patient safety culture, looking at results from 536 hospitals during a 7-year period.... Read More >>