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2 Min Read

Journal articles target hand hygiene compliance in hospitals

A recent issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety takes a look at hand hygiene compliance in hospitals.

Prevention & Wellness
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2 Min Read

Complete PQRS with alternate reporting option

Physicians will face a 2 percent payment penalty in 2017 if they do not successfully report for Medicare’s Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) this year. You can take advantage of a reporting option that can help improve patient outcomes while simultaneously lessening your chances of incurring penalties.

Payment & Delivery Models
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6 Min Read

10 top issues that impacted physicians in 2014

A number of regulatory, public health and practice issues took center stage for the medical profession this year. See the 10 topics that made some of the biggest waves among the physician community in 2014—and learn how they played out.

Medicare & Medicaid
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3 Min Read

Improve quality, avoid penalties using clinical data registries

Physicians providing care to Medicare patients this year will face a 2 percent payment penalty in 2016. As the AMA works to lessen this burden, you can take advantage of a new reporting option to improve patient outcomes while simultaneously lessening your chances of incurring penalties.

Payment & Delivery Models
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1 Min Read

Oral arguments begin in patient safety case before U.S. Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of the United States is hearing oral arguments in North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners v. FTC, a case previously decided by a federal appeals court that ruled in favor of the FTC’s claim that state licensure boards should be subject to federal antitrust laws.

Judicial Advocacy
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2 Min Read

Ruling could impede efforts to improve patient safety

The Litigation Center of the AMA and State Medical Societies, the Kentucky Medical Association and more than two dozen patient safety and health care quality groups from around the country have filed a brief with the Kentucky Supreme Court, arguing that the appeals court ruling in Tibbs v. Bunnell would hamper open discussions that are essential to maintaining and improving patient safety.

Judicial Advocacy
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2 Min Read

Joint Commission releases updated sentinel events data

Nearly 59 percent of sentinel events since 2004 have resulted in patient deaths, according to recently updated sentinel event statistics from the Joint Commission. The updated statistics include 2014 summary data for Jan. 1 through June 30.

Prevention & Wellness
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1 Min Read

Risks of tubing misconnections singled out in new alert

The Joint Commission has issued a new Sentinel Event Alert, “Managing risk during transition to new ISO tubing connector standards,” which addresses the risks of accidental medical tubing misconnections that can cause severe patient injury or death.

Prevention & Wellness
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2 Min Read

Resource offers strategies to prevent hospital infections

An updated version of the popular compendium of recommendations for preventing common health care-associated infections (HAI) in acute care hospitals has been published in the Infection Control and Healthcare Epidemiology.

Prevention & Wellness