Dear Colleague:
Welcome to the Yale New Haven Health System Center for Healthcare Solutions (YNNHS-CHS) monthly newsletter. The featured articles reflect our mission to provide practical and cost-efficient solutions to today's healthcare challenges. In addition to providing informative updates, each issue will also highlight techniques, programs and systems that are helping organizations translate proven research results into operational best practices. A diverse range of topics is covered including: patient safety, public health, healthcare associated infections, emergency preparedness, health information technology, healthcare reform, quality improvement and background check systems.
Please don't hesitate to share this resource with other interested colleagues. |
AVAILABLE NOW:
Federal Grant Opportunity for
Background Check Program Participation
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued a solicitation for Federal matching grants to all State and U.S. Territories for a multi-year National Background Check Program for Patient Protection. Up to $3 million is available to each State or Territory to assist with instituting or upgrading systems of employee background checks to include checks of all pertinent registry sources in all States in which a potential employee has lived, to check State and Federal criminal records and to use the FBI fingerprinting system in order to ensure that employees hired to serve the vulnerable long term care populations do not have criminal or registry past histories that make them unfit to be hired. Click here for further information about this initiative, as well as the prior background check pilot program and evaluation.
HHS Population Health Data Sees the Light of Day
HHS welcomes application developers to harvest reams of data that to date have been in storage. Data on health indicators such as smoking, obesity and use of healthcare services are just a few of the resources that are now available. Click here to read this article in its entirety.
Electronic Health Records - Efficiency Collides
with Privacy
The Dallas Morning News
Across Texas, health systems are moving forward with the implementation of electronic health record systems. Electronic records should allow physicians and other practitioners to more effectively coordinate patient care while eliminating errors in handwritten orders that lead to inaccurate prescriptions and lab and imaging tests. While implementation is underway, health systems and physician practices are dealing with requests to release patient information and federal mandates that carry financial penalties for noncompliance. Concurrently, privacy critics are raising concerns about companies that provide incentives to entities to sell their patient data and access to confidential information. Click here to read this article in its entirety.
OSHA Needs Your Input
OSHA requests comment (closes on August 4, 2010) on occupational exposure to infectious agents in settings where healthcare is provided and healthcare-related settings. OSHA is interested in strategies that are being used in these settings to mitigate the risk of occupationally-acquired infectious diseases. Click here to learn more about this request for comments. |
Consortium of Top Academic Medical Centers Tackle Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections
An alliance of 107 academic medical centers and 234 of their affiliated hospitals is focused on reducing hospital-acquired conditions as part of its Imperatives for Quality (IQ) Program. Key elements of the IQ Program include demonstrating to hospital executives that this is an organizational priority, utilizing self-assessment checklists to ensure that progress is achieved and sustained in protecting patients from catheter-related bloodstream infections and having access to other resources such as work plans, and data collection and reporting tools. Click here to read this article in its entirety.
YNHHS-CHS Educational Tools
Our online courses can assist your organization in meeting The Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goal 7 and are approved for AMA PRA Category 1 CME credit (online).
The Guidelines International Network (G-I-N) Conference 2010, will be held August 25-28, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois (USA). The G-I-N Conference 2010 will bring together various professionals involved in evidence synthesis, guideline development, implementation, quality improvement, and health policy to integrate knowledge and, ultimately, improve patient outcomes.
The AHRQ 2010 Annual Conference, "Better Care, Better Health: Delivering on Quality for All Americans," will be held September 27-29, 2010 in Bethesda, Maryland. Click here to register online. |
The Yale New Haven Health System Center for Healthcare Solutions offers services and programs that will help you meet current healthcare standards, priorities and other challenges. Healthcare-focused services include education and training, assessment, planning and program implementation, testing and evaluation in the disciplines of patient safety, healthcare associated infections, emergency management and service excellence. For more information, please visit www.ynhhs.org/chs. |
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YNHHS-CHS Course Listings and Offerings
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