Patient Safety is never far from the mind of any healthcare provider, risk, quality or safety manager or administrator. Since the early 1990s we have listened to Don Berwick, MD discuss how this issue of patient safety needs to be ingrained into every system and process, and yet it seems we are still only at the beginning of this journey. The wisdom of Dr. Berwick was again evident at the recent NPSF Patient Safety Congress. In his powerful and inspiring speech, he expressed the pressing need for healthcare providers to act on eveything we've learned from our efforts in the patient safety and quality improvement movement thus far, including bringing multiple perspectives together to achieve lasting results, and to remain commited to furthering that progress every day. We have done well in some areas, but we tend to spend more time looking at data than doing what needs to be done...and the time for doing is now! He has identified seven roadblocks to improving patient safety that healthcare leaders are up against every day, and they are summed up nicely in this article.

Reducing readmissions continues to be a core concern for healthcare providers. An innovative approach to addressing this issue is to integrate informal, unpaid caregivers in the discharge planning process for elderly patients. The author Alexandra Wilson Pecci shows us how adding one simple step to the discharge planning process of elderly patients can reduce readmissions by as much as 25%. Informal caregivers typically include spouses and children, and studies show that including them in the planning process can aid tremendously in improving patient outcomes. Give it a read here.

THE MEDICARE HOSPITAL READMISSION REDUCTION PROGRAM

Medicare is always trying to maximize efficiency and minimize costs, and in keeping with that has implemented programs to provide incentives to reduce hospital readmissions. One of these types of programs is the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP). This article looks at the impact the program has had on Medicare patients and hospitals, and focuses on the national picture for readmissions and what may be expected by providers in the future. Check out the complete article.

RISK PREVENTION STRATEGIES

The Opioid epidemic continues to rage across the country. While there is a lot of public attention to this tragic situation, providers still struggle with how to best approach the issue to get a lasting resolution. Clarity Group, through our Risk-Quality-Safety Consulting Services, provided a webinar on this topic that is designed to raise the awareness regarding pain management risks and the importance of developing comprehensive risk management strategies that help in the prevention, recognition, and treatment of prescription drug misuse.

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 A Risk-Quality-Safety concern is emerging regarding the co-morbidities that can be associated with opioid use when the patient is otherwise compromised. The AHRQ PSNet Case & Commentary presented here offers insight into some of the areas of concern in the assessment, documentation and treatment of these types of individuals. It can be used as a learning tool within your organization.

Read the Case & Commentary