A recent study from Loyola University Medical Center illustrates how adding a nurse practitioner (NP) to a medical or surgical department can improve patient discharges, reduce unnecessary readmissions through the ED, and save hospitals money.
Starting with the next edition of The Joint Commission's Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals to be published this spring, The Joint Commission will change the term "disruptive behavior" to "behaviors that undermine a culture of safety." The accrediting agency...
The medical executive committee (MEC) at Better Times Hospital has proportional representation. Many years ago (no one is sure exactly when), the MEC agreed that each of the 15 clinical departments should have at least one seat on the MEC regardless of its size. For every...
It makes perfect sense-if hospitals standardize their clinical operations through accreditation standards, they will automatically improve their bottom line by eliminating waste and unnecessary costs. The right hand works with the left. It sounds easy in theory, but it is often...
In an effort to improve the accuracy of the data contained within the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) and the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank (HIPDB), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has...
Many states protect medical staff peer review information from discovery, meaning that a plaintiff's attorney cannot use it against individuals who participate in peer review. The purpose of the protection is to allow medical staffs to discuss peer review issues candidly and...
