Learn how essential hospitals can partner with public health departments to improve antibiotic stewardship efforts, and hear firsthand about LAC+USC Medical Center’s partnership experience.
view more »IHI Seeks Abstracts for Scientific Symposium
Aug. 9, 2018 ||Abstracts should show the results of work to improve health or health care at a local, regional, or national scale.
view more »Hear how experts at Carilion Clinic created a Quality Performance Indicator Database to standardize and disseminate data and reduce preventable harm.
view more »The Gage Awards honor creative and successful programs at essential hospitals that enhance patient care and meet community needs.
view more »The Gage Awards honor creative and successful programs at essential hospitals that enhance patient care and meet community needs.
view more »Pledge to ‘Break the Chain’ of Infectious Diseases
Oct. 17, 2016 ||Each year, APIC sponsors International Infection Prevention Week to highlight the importance of infection prevention in improving patient safety.
view more »CMS Announces $8 Million for Quality Improvement Projects
April 6, 2016 ||Special Innovation Project grants will be awarded to 28 partnerships with QIN-QIOs to support and scale quality improvement projects. Projects should aim to provide Medicare beneficiaries with better care, better health, and greater value.
view more »OSHA Offers Workplace Violence Prevention Resources
Dec. 8, 2015 ||Site for hospitals and other health care facilities reflects violent incident rate four times higher than other sectors
view more »Patient Engagement is Critical to Infection Prevention
Oct. 19, 2015 ||International Infection Prevention Week, Oct. 18-24, raises awareness of patient and family engagement, hand hygiene in infection prevention and patient safety
view more »New Tool Assesses Public Health Program Sustainability
Sept. 25, 2015 ||The assessment helps public health programs understand and build capacity for sustainability over time. It consists of 40 questions and takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes for each individual to complete.
view more »Learn how Hennepin County Medical Center’s physician-targeted initiative lowered pressure ulcer rates to one of its lowest points in more than a decade.
view more »Proposed CCJR model would bundle Medicare payments to acute care hospitals for hip and knee replacement surgery in 75 metropolitan statistical areas; hospitals would be held financially accountable for meeting quality and cost targets for entire episode of care.
view more »Process Improvement Steps to Slash Patient Fall Rate
June 22, 2015 ||Process improvement methodology led to a 40 percent reduction in patient falls at Broward Health Imperial Point after just one year.
view more »UHS staff discussed how DSRIP-supported improvement projects have impacted patient care and quality outcomes.
view more »View the recorded webcast on how California’s DSRIP waiver impacts patient care and quality outcomes at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center.
view more »California’s DSRIP: Results from Contra Costa
May 13, 2015 ||View the recorded webcast on how California’s DSRIP waiver impacts patient care and quality outcomes at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center.
view more »Effort, spearheaded by Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, virtually eliminated early term deliveries with patient, physician engagement
view more »CMS to Test Outpatient, ASC Patient Experience Survey
April 13, 2015 ||Preliminary testing to include random, representative sample of 50 hospital outpatient departments, 50 ambulatory surgery centers
view more »Study: Do workplace improvements alleviate physician burnout?
March 3, 2015 ||Hennepin County Medical Center found that better communication, workflow, and targeted quality improvement projects improved physician burnout, dissatisfaction, and retention.
view more »Essential Hospitals Do Their Part to Reduce Medical Errors
Feb. 3, 2015 ||Amid troubling reports, essential hospitals work diligently to improve patient safety and reduce medical errors - and succeed
view more »SWARMing to Combat Adverse Events, Improve Patient Care
Dec. 17, 2014 ||UK Healthcare adopted a centralized approach to patient safety that promotes responsibility and commitment to continuous improvement.
view more »Recent Articles on SES, Medical Homes, Health Equity, and More
Oct. 8, 2014 ||Recent journal articles explore socioeconomic status, accountable care organizations, and other issues relevant to essential hospitals.
view more »How do research and evaluation differ?
Sept. 26, 2014 ||Innovations in health care require evaluation to determine impact and success. But what is the difference between conducting an evaluation and researching a program? At Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, staff learned this distinction is important to consider.
view more »Administration Announces Actions to Combat Antibiotic Resistance
Sept. 23, 2014 ||The national strategy is intended to slow the emergence and prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and strengthen national efforts to identify and report cases of it.
view more »Sorting Sounds: Boston Medical Center Fights Alarm Fatigue
Sept. 10, 2014 ||BMC's 15-step, replicable plan involves identifying clinically significant alarms and altering settings for insignificant alarms. The plan reduced noise levels and increased satisfaction.
view more »Holding the Gains: A Model for Sustainability
Sept. 2, 2014 ||The first of two webinars featuring sustainability expert Lynne Maher, PhD, MBA, who will summarize a tested and proven model for assessing improvement projects.
view more »Federal Incentives – Right Intentions, Wrong Impact?
Aug. 14, 2014 ||An examination of a recent study highlighting the challenge of providing financial incentives fairly based on outcomes and hospital characteristics.
view more »On the Hill: VA Health, Undocumented Minors, House Medicaid Hearing
July 29, 2014 ||Congress considers Veteran Affairs, Medicare, and immigration bills as August recess nears; House holds hearing on state Medicaid funding.
view more »Quality Innovation Network Organizations Announced
July 22, 2014 ||CMS awarded contracts to 14 organizations as part of the restructuring of the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Program. These organizations will work with providers to increase quality of care.
view more »National Provider Call: QIO Program
July 21, 2014 ||CMS announces webinar for providers on the QIO program. Topics will include an overview of program changes, update on the transition process, and discussion on provider impact.
view more »‘Most Wired’: Association Members Improving Quality, Safety with IT
July 16, 2014 ||Numerous essential hospitals were named to Hospitals & Health Networks magazine's list of 2014 most wired hospitals
view more »Implementing and Refining Solutions in Care Delivery
July 7, 2014 ||Innovation does not end with implementation - ongoing evaluation and refinement also are key to ensure success.
view more »Clamping Down on Preeclampsia
July 3, 2014 ||Learn how to improve outcomes for preeclampsia patients
view more »Staff at UMass Memorial Health Care are using idea boards to generate ideas that improve care and cut costs at system hospitals.
view more »Using case studies and related research, America's Essential Hospitals describes how waiver-based incentive programs support essential hospitals' delivery system reform.
view more »The Gage Awards Program honors and shares the outstanding work of members of America’s Essential Hospitals. Winners are recognized for successful and creative programs that boost patient care and meet community needs.
view more »Low-Tech Tool Helps Reduce Patient Falls
June 6, 2014 ||The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center developed a simple, replicable tool to help prevent fall injuries.
view more »Experimenting with Solutions: Ideate and Prototype
May 30, 2014 ||Safety-net organizations face numerous problems, each with many potential solutions. When thinking about solutions, it is helpful to have a framework of innovation. This installment of the blog discusses how to choose between solutions and how to operationalize them.
view more »Innovating Care Transitions with Digital Apps
May 12, 2014 ||This is the fifth blog in a series highlighting how the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services is helping patients better navigate their care.
view more »Apply for the Comprehensive ESRD Care Model
May 6, 2014 ||Through this model, groups of health care providers and suppliers will be responsible for all care offered to a group of beneficiaries. Applications and letters of intent are due June 23 for provider and supplier groups that include a large dialysis organization and Sept. 15 for provider and supplier groups that do not include a large dialysis organization.
view more »Essential Hospitals Make Hand Hygiene a Priority
May 5, 2014 ||Recognizing its importance, many member hospitals have taken steps to improve hand hygiene among their staff, including by launching handwashing campaigns or by adopting tools to track compliance.
view more »Reduce Infections, Save Money with Hand Hygiene
April 30, 2014 ||MetroHealth's team-based Wash-In, Wash-Out program boosts hand hygiene compliance among staff and reduces hospital-acquired infections.
view more »How to Gather Stakeholder Feedback When Implementing an Innovation
April 23, 2014 ||Olive View-UCLA Medical Center used two specific strategies to ensure they were meeting patient and caregiver needs with a new patient-centered medical home project.
view more »Reminder: Enroll in QualityNet Secure Portal by May 1
April 14, 2014 ||Starting July 1, IQR and OQR data must be submitted through the secure portal. CMS encourages hospitals to enroll in the portal and complete the identity proofing process by May 1.
view more »VTE Measures and Prevention
April 7, 2014 ||This is the third webinar in the Essential Hospitals Engagement Network’s patient harm series.
view more »How Do You Ensure an Innovation is Effective?
April 3, 2014 ||These days, we’re all pressured to prove our efforts are worth the investment. Essential hospitals, or those that serve a safety net role in their communities, are under particular stress. How do you prove your efforts are effective?
view more »Community-Focused Steps to Boosting Nutrition, Wellness
March 10, 2014 ||Nutrition deficiency contributes to many serious health conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and certain cancers. Studies also show a correlation to increasingly high health care costs and reduced productivity and chronic absence from work. Learn a phased approach to addressing these issues, with examples from several essential hospitals.
view more »Clinical Decision-Support Systems Effectively Prevent VTE
March 7, 2014 ||A Truman Medical Centers study examines clinical decision support systems’ impact on venous thromboembolism prevention.
view more »Helping Patients Navigate Their Care
March 6, 2014 ||The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services launched a pilot program that aims to prevent avoidable rescue-care visits by automatically notifying patient-centered medical homes when a patient enters the health care system and better engaging discharged patients in their follow-up care.
view more »A Reason to Hope
March 5, 2014 ||As a health care professional who is closer to the end of her career than the beginning, I am prone to view the current state of health care quality as a culmination of decades of strategies, collaborations, regulations, competition, legislative actions, and heuristic thinking swirling madly around the people who rely on us so greatly: our patients.
view more »Patient Safety Awareness Week 2014 highlights why it is essential to engage patients and consumers in the health care process.
view more »How to Combat Alarm Fatigue
Feb. 25, 2014 ||A Boston Medical Center pilot program successfully reduced audible alarms and improved patient safety across six weeks, leading the hospital to implement the strategy on all inpatient medical/surgical units.
view more »CMS Urges Enrollment in QualityNet Secure Portal by May 1
Feb. 21, 2014 ||Starting July 1, IQR and OQR data must be submitted through the secure portal. CMS encourages hospitals to enroll in the Secure Portal and complete the identity proofing process by May 1.
view more »Leadership for Safety: Safety and the EHR
Jan. 31, 2014 ||Discuss what's happening in your units that use electronic health records
view more »Leadership for Safety: Responding to Patient Safety Disasters
Jan. 31, 2014 ||Learn how to carry out a crisis management plan when a patient safety disaster occurs
view more »Raising Awareness About Patient Safety at ZSFG
Jan. 29, 2014 ||Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital's patient safety officer highlights the power of data and transparency to reduce hospital harm events.
view more »How Leadership Drives Safety Culture
Jan. 27, 2014 ||Leaders from the CEO down set the culture of an organization and can make or break a hospital’s improvement effort.
view more »Leadership for Safety: Setting Safety Goals
Jan. 25, 2014 ||Determine your organization’s quality plans and safety goals
view more »Leadership for Safety: Safety Briefing (Part II)
Jan. 20, 2014 ||Review emerging leadership best practices and daily operational safety briefings
view more »Leadership for Safety: Will and Transparency
Jan. 15, 2014 ||Learn how your organization can become transparent about safety problems
view more »Daily Safety Huddles Lead to Harm Reductions
Jan. 15, 2014 ||Reduce patient harm using 15-minute safety huddles, which convene representatives from across the organization to address potential safety concerns.
view more »Patient and Family Engagement Series IV – Patient- and Family-Centered Care at the Bedside
Jan. 13, 2014 ||This was the fourth webinar in this Patient and Family Engagement series, which focused on bedside care.
view more »Health Equity Series III – Improving Care for LEP Patients
Jan. 13, 2014 ||Learn about high-risk areas for limited English proficient patients and improvement strategies
view more »Process Redesign Leads to Lower CLABSI Incidence
Jan. 10, 2014 ||Truman Medical Centers reduced central line-associated blood stream infections in its intensive care units through an evidence-based strategy.
view more »Learn how you can improve your opportunities for successfully reducing falls.
view more »How to create a streamlined focus on HCAHPS
view more »Essential Hospitals Engagement Network
Dec. 9, 2013 ||The EHEN was one of 26 hospital engagement networks funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services through the Partnership for Patients, a national initiative to reduce preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40 percent and 30-day readmissions by 20 percent by 2013.
view more »Participants shared successes and barriers and developed a plan for sustainability
view more »Resident Program in Quality Becomes ‘Institutional Priority’
Dec. 2, 2013 ||UNM School of Medicine develops full-year seminar on patient safety and health care quality
view more »This is HHLN installment #6 of 6 During this webinar, HHLN participants: identified best methodology for sharing successes with other safety net hospitals developed appropriate next steps for success
view more »Hand Hygiene Learning Network: Reviewing the Findings and Identifying the Opportunities
Dec. 2, 2013 ||Participants discussed their observations and obtained TST training for data entry
view more »Participants discussed Just in Time Coaches, received additional TST training, and identified pilot units
view more »Topics included: team introductions, pre-work, the HHLN plan, and the TST tool
view more »Participants discussed their observations and identified next steps
view more »Education targeted at staff involved in reporting summary data to the National Healthcare Safety Network
view more »CMS to Host Webcast of eHealth Summit, Including Panel on Health Information Exchanges
July 23, 2013 ||Panelists discussed potential of health IT for administrative simplification, privacy and security, other uses
view more »Winners recognized for successful, creative programs that boost patient care and meet community needs
view more »Beyond the ICU: Implementing CAUTI Prevention Strategies
May 14, 2013 ||Hear findings, common barriers, and results of the Bladder Bundle Program
view more »Reviewing Colorectal SSI Best Practices
April 16, 2013 ||Surgical site infection coding challenges and strategies to prevent colorectal SSIs
view more »Vanquishing VAP
Feb. 12, 2013 ||Review VAP interventions, run charts, and key driver diagrams
view more »Clamping Down on CLABSI: Eliminating Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections
Jan. 15, 2013 ||Maricopa explained how their burn center slashed CLABSIs
view more »Who’s at Risk? Identifying Patients in Danger of Rehospitalization
Oct. 24, 2012 ||This session reviewed key driver diagrams and highlighted an electronic risk assessment model – derived from clinical and nonclinical factors – that helps predict which patients are at risk for 30-day readmission within 24 hours of admission.
view more »Shuttering AHRQ Would Undermine Important Safety Net Research
July 18, 2012 ||Research on health care quality, disparities in care, patient safety at risk, association says
view more »Regional collaboratives, leadership summits support work to find solutions to quality disparities
view more »NAPH Announces 2012 Gage Award Winners
June 21, 2012 ||Five hospitals and health systems recognized for exceptional work to improve quality, patient safety, population health
view more »Association, Journal for Healthcare Quality highlight work at National Press Club event
view more »Kaiser Permanente Grant Supports NPHHI Transformation Center, Cements Belief in Safety Net
Feb. 29, 2012 ||New center aligns research, education, and development opportunities to support members
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