Facility Operations - September 2013
Behaviorial Healthcare survey details 40 electronic health record systems
Survey is magazine's annual look at the growing range of information technology products and solutions from vendors who serve the behavioral health industry.
9/30/2013
Infection control should be part of disaster plan
Guide for for ambulatory care centers on infection prevention during disasters recently released
9/30/2013
Five blog entries from National Health IT Week
MedCityNews.com gathers five blog entries from National IT Week discussions
9/30/2013
Five ways to link health information technology, quality measurement
AHRQ Report offers tips on engaging patients, connecting data
9/25/2013
Take the long view when investing in health care data
There may not be a clear pay-off at first, but data is the key to trimming health care costs
9/25/2013
CRE infections tracked by state
Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology put together summary of states with superbug issue
9/24/2013
New ASHRAE reference guides hospital HVAC design
Guidelines focus on system filtration, temperature, humidity, air change, pressurization and exhaust
9/24/2013
White paper: Defining a framework to meet healthcare technology challenges
White paper discusses the issues healthcare facilities face when implementing and integrating new technology.
9/24/2013
Hospitals make significant progress in disaster readiness
Drilling and education has paid off since 9/11, anthrax
9/24/2013
Study shows patients prefer digital communication over print
Most visitors and patients said digital content enhanced the hospital experience
9/23/2013
How to purchase hospital products on a budget
Easy tips and tricks that can cut down on spending
9/23/2013
Healthcare IT security is difficult, but not impossible
Planning and thorough security risk analysis needed
9/23/2013
Residential facilities get new pediatric infection prevention guidelines
Patients vulnerable to infection and their families are at risk of exposure to infectious pathogens in common areas
9/23/2013
IBM to build analytics platform for NYC hospital system
New platform will standardize information from patients, providers, locations and reimbursement codes
9/23/2013
MRSA infections fall by more than 50% in U.S. hospitals
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report shows drop from 2005-2011
9/20/2013
Claims data called crucial for ACO analytics
Clinical data from electronic health records seen as insufficient for analytic purposes
9/20/2013
Three ways big data is changing healthcare
Preventative care, better quality, and decreased costs link to new technology
9/20/2013
4 findings on healthcare facility design's effect on HAIs
Contact, air, water, and spatial separation cited as key factors in study
9/20/2013
Vermont hospitals commit to a healthier future
Vermont is the first state to commit to enrolling all of its hospitals
9/19/2013
How does a community hospital manage data growth?
Watertown, N.Y., hospital streamlining how it manages and backs up data
9/19/2013
Little momentum seen for local food movement in Ontario health care system
Systemic issues - rather than philosophical ones - called the biggest barrier
9/19/2013
Is equipment financing the right solution for HIT investments?
10 questions for decision makers to ask before they invest
9/19/2013
Learning HIM from experts
Geisinger, Intermountain are ahead of the curve managing health information.
9/19/2013
Heart of Healthcare award winners named
AHE and Kimberly-Clark honor environmental services technicians for infection prevention efforts
9/19/2013
Rush Memorial Hospital named 2013 Most Wired
Magazine survey polls hospitals and health systems regarding their IT initiatives
9/18/2013
Unplanned data center outages slightly less common, but still a challenge, survey finds
Most respondents in the study stated that they would rather walk barefoot over hot coals than have their data center go down
9/18/2013
Where are the 50 greenest hospitals in America?
Attention to carbon emissions, medical waste, water consumption, unhealthy food, fossil fuels and climate change are part of the hospital mission
9/18/2013
Advances in nurse call system technology offer new, better care options
Once-optional features - including systems integration and handheld abilities - now standard.
9/18/2013
Need for data reshaping HIM professions
Health information managers seeing new demand and new roles
9/17/2013
Survey ranks health care facilities second for suspect hand-washing habits
Only restaurants rank higher for locations that Americans are 'most concerned' about others not washing their hands
9/17/2013
Hospitals need the right tools to tackle sustainability
The willingness is there, but resources and time are often in short supply
9/17/2013
Combined heat and power systems reduce energy use and outage risk
Regulations often stand in the way as utilities' profits take a hit
9/16/2013
Hospitals working to increase community access to healthier food
Research shows eating more produce could save 100,000 lives and $17 billion annually
9/16/2013
Can social networking help solve EHR interoperability?
Benefits of sharing and commenting on records within dedicated social networks discussed
9/16/2013
Planning a healthcare analytics strategy
DotMed.com proposes three questions to ask before you begin
9/16/2013
Health system embraces earthbound data storage
Not all health data storage solutions are in the cloud in "conservative" strategy
9/13/2013
Data on EHR problems causes concern
Software default value-related incidents resulted in unsafe conditions or prolonged hospitalization
9/13/2013
Hospitals look past codes to set power reliability minimums
Recent natural disasters spark proactive infrastructure upgrades
9/13/2013
Patient barcoding introduced to curb medication errors
Colorado hospital uses coded bracelets to monitor drugs, dosages, and timing
9/13/2013
Geisinger Medical Center honored for environmental services excellence
Magazine names facility ES Department of the Year
9/12/2013
Charlottesville hospital takes closer look at safety
Daily safety huddles at Martha Jefferson hospital brings departments together
9/12/2013
Data called most enduring asset in any healthcare organization
Health IT expert offers tips on balanced data governance
9/12/2013
Stricter hospital alarm rules will start in 2014
'Alarm fatigue' blamed for change in Joint Commission regulations
9/12/2013
10 ways that healthcare quality impacts costs
Impact goes beyond much-reported $9.8 billion annual infection price tag
9/12/2013
Download free patient safety tools
Most popular items include Hospital Decontamination Self-Assessment and Healthcare Teamwork and Communication Toolkit
9/11/2013
New beds improve safety at Marshfield hospital
Replacing 90% of the facility's beds costs $4.9 million
9/11/2013
It's Environmental Services and Housekeeping Week!
Celebration includes free daily webinars for members
9/11/2013
Study puts hospital infections price tag at $9.8 billion annually
Recent JAMA Internal Medicine report reviewed data from 1998-2013
9/10/2013
Six steps for a successful waste management program
Arkansas Children's Hospital shares methods for dealing with medical waste
9/10/2013
Design elements examined in reducing fall risks
Looking at a range of factors - related to the patient and the environment - together found to be most effective
9/10/2013
Joint Commission sites 5 toughest ambulatory care standards
Four of the top five 2013 standards made the 2012 list
9/10/2013
How important is hospital security?
Tips and tricks to better protect healthcare institutions
9/9/2013
Hospitals make slow progress toward sustainability
Survey shows hospitals say that environmental sustainability is important, but are at varying stages of initiatives
9/9/2013
New federal rule highlighted after sprinkler system saves nursing home residents
Fire sprinklers required in all U.S. long-term care facilities as of previous month
9/9/2013
Ensuring fail-safe power in emergencies
Constant power through the hospital's critical power supply depends on all components functioning properly
9/6/2013
Michigan Green Healthcare Conference to focus on food
Event will showcase sustainable approaches for hospitals in food and other areas
9/6/2013
Many hospitals at risk for EHR penalties
Small, rural U.S. hospitals not meeting electronic health record requirements
9/5/2013
Has hand hygiene in hospitals gone too far?
Doctor takes the gloves off in blog extolling the necessity of touch in patient care
9/5/2013
Digital age brings new issues to video monitoring
Bandwidth a key challenge as surveillance systems evolve
9/4/2013
Nursing homes, long-term facilities behind in EHR
Lack of funding, financial incentives and penalties are sited as key obstacles to adoption
9/4/2013
New research explores hospital indoor air quality and infection control
Two studies look at open-plan ward design, ventilation strategies and energy management
9/4/2013
Designers must balance safety and comfort at psychiatric hospitals
Facilities should reflect input from clinical staffers and former patients
9/4/2013
C. difficile management may not be infection control problem
CDC report finds most patients carried bacteria at time of admission
9/3/2013
Hospital Healthy Food Initiative works to improve hospital dietary standards
National organization joins with hospitals and food providers to provide better options
9/3/2013
8 tips on keeping facilities clean, green, and healthy
Transition to fall perfect time for review procedures
9/3/2013
High-level data security, flexibility seen in the cloud
Cloud-hosted data harder to access for thieves, but easier for health care providers
9/3/2013