News

As of January 2017, hospitals accredited by The Joint Commission are required to have antibiotic stewardship programs, and the requirement includes education for practitioners, staff and patients on the antimicrobial program, such as information about resistance and optimal prescribing. For hospitals seeking antimicrobial stewardship education, the Society of Hospital Medicine just released Antimicrobial Stewardship Modules that are available online.... Read More >>

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a memo in June indicating that it now expects certified health care facilities to have water management policies and procedures. The state Department of Health notes that is has learned of at least one facility that has been cited by CMS for lacking a water management program.... Read More >>

WSHA continues our commitment to improving patient safety and reducing harm from all causes by supporting Rapid Response Teams, which are supportive clinicians with advanced skills who are able to assess a patient when there is a concern that a patient’s condition is declining. Rapid Response Team processes can be initiated by patients, family members and staff.... Read More >>

Communication and Resolution Programs (CRPs) are a principled, comprehensive and systematic approach for responding to patients who have been harmed during health care. Despite the best training and intentions of healthcare professionals, about one in 10 patients is harmed by the care they receive. When something goes wrong during health care, the best response is one that is rapid and compassionate, and promotes healing for all involved.... Read More >>

A study published in Health Affairs in June 2017 compared racial disparities in 30-day readmissions among traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries who underwent one of six major inpatient surgical procedures. The study utilized New York State hospital claims data in 2013.... Read More >>

Already late to an evening meeting, I rush through the hospital halls. Up ahead, an older couple ambled. Then, “Do you know how to get to the elevators?” I opted for expediency: “I’m heading that way; I’ll take you.” Relieved, the woman confided that a routine visit discovered a brain tumor. He was having a biopsy in the morning. She insisted he complete an advance directive, but she didn’t know how to begin.... Read More >>

Newport Hospitals & Health Services and Kittitas Valley Healthcare received the Washington State Hospital Association’s 2017 Rural Quality ~ Everyday Extraordinary Award. Newport Hospitals & Health Services received the award for its success in its “Surgical Site Infection Prevention Project,” and Kittitas Valley Healthcare received the award for its success in its “KVH Sepsis Taskforce.”... Read More >>

WSHA is committed to improving patient safety and reducing harm from all causes. Part of improving patient safety is ensuring that diagnostic imaging exams produce a clinically viable image to guide care without causing harm. The American College of Radiology produces two free sample reports through the Dose Index Registry: one for children and one for adults. These reports have been acknowledged as appropriate for comparison of target dose ranges by exam and age in the absence of established national benchmarks.... Read More >>

Falls and associated injuries remain a serious patient safety problem, with between 700,000 and 1 million people falling in the hospital each year, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Up to 51 percent of falls result in injury or significant trauma, and they are the leading cause of injury-related deaths for adults older than 65. Several evidence-based interventions have been designed to prevent falls and associated injuries, and WSHA has resources that can help.... Read More >>

This Friday, June 9, we will join the American Hospital Association (AHA) in taking a stand against violence —in all its forms — to make our communities a safer place through the Hospitals Against Violence campaign, #HAVhope.... Read More >>