family-montage-header.jpg

Healthy Transitions CO high res
June 27, 2014
NOTES FROM THE FIELD
Paramedics Save the Day...and Then Some
By: Cari Frank, CIVHC Director of Communications
Cari Frank

When asked to list types of primary care health care providers, the majority of people would probably say doctor or nurse. With prodding, perhaps pharmacists, public health providers, and medical assistants would come to mind. Paramedics and EMTs may not top the list, but Eagle County's Community Paramedic program is starting to change people's perceptions of paramedics. 

IN THE NEWS
godly-enter-key.jpg
Transitions of Care Go Digital
From HealthLeaders Media, May 2014

Getting information to transition with the patient has always been a challenge, but the CMS  EHR Incentive program has spurred the development of some potential technological solutions. Though they may not be the silver bullet we're looking for, they offer some insight in what's to come.

pills2.jpg

Hospitals Put Pharmacists in the ER to Cut Medication Errors 

By: Lauren Silverman
From NPR, June 2014

The Children's Medical Center in Dallas is working to eliminate prescribing errors in their emergency department by keeping pharmacists on the ground and on call at all times. Electronic medical records can only catch so much and a second set of eyes on medications and patients provides a necessary check in the fast-paced ER environment where mistakes can have dire consequences. ER pharmacists double check patient condition, height, and weight to ensure correct dosage and review histories to guard against deadly interactions. 

laptop-glasses-girl.jpg
Health Care Harnesses Social Media
By: Alan Neuhauser
From US News & World Report, June 2014

With more people sharing significant moments of their lives with friend groups online, health professionals are using social media to help save patients. Many patients are reluctant to discuss aspects of themselves or their pasts with strangers, while others may not realize the relevance of certain personal events while in treatment. By engaging on Facebook or Twitter, providers can interact with patients in a non-threatening fashion and can be updated on their condition by tweets, status updates, or public mentions by friends of friends.

Full Article 

bills_coins.jpg

How Being Poor Makes You Sick 

By: Olga Khazan
From The Atlantic, May 2014

A doctor in Boston is prescribing bikes to patients in lower income areas in the hope that regular activity (and easy transportation) will help offset the health risks associated with poverty. Studies have shown that patients subsisting at or near the poverty line are less healthy than their more well to do counterparts. Low income, and the associated stressors of food scarcity, unstable home environment, and sedentary lifestyle, can shape an individual's future health from an early age.

 Full Article

TOOLS AND RESOURCES
Updated Data on WhyNotTheBest.org

WhyNotTheBest.org, The Commonwealth Fund's free benchmarking tool for health care professionals, with the latest data from Hospital Compare. This major quarterly update will include data on:

  • readmission and mortality rates
  • incidence of health care-acquired infections
  • average Medicare payments to providers
  • measures of timely and effective stroke care
  • measures of blood clot prevention and treatment
  • influenza and pneumonia vaccination rates
  • measures of timely emergency care
  • measures of patients' experiences
  • measures of recommended care for heart attacks, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgery.

Health Care Innovations Exchange Focuses on Emergency Medical Services

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announces the June 4 issue of the Health Care Innovations Exchange including:
  • The featured Innovations describe two programs that implemented innovative strategies to reduce the use of emergency medical services (EMS) by frequent 911 callers, leading to major cost savings and increased capacity in area emergency departments (EDs). The third featured profile describes a State policy that banned ambulance diversions to other nearby EDs, resulting in reduced ED length of stay and ambulance turnaround time.

Learn More 

The Practical Playbook

Developed by the de Beaumont Foundation, Duke Community and Family Medicine, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Practical Playbook was created as a stepping stone in the next transformation of health in which primary care and public health groups collaborate to achieve population health improvement and reduced health care costs. The Playbook guides users through the stages of integrated population health improvement, as well as helpful resources from across the U.S. including success stories, lessons learned and guidance from industry experts. One of the topics covered in the Playbook is Health Equity / Social Determinants of Health. You can find his presentation outlining their work on the DNCC Healthcare Communities website. 

Learn More

Tool Integrates Family Caregivers Into the Hospital Discharge Plan

The Project RED (Re-Engineered Discharge) toolkit has added a tool to help hospitals integrate family caregivers into the discharge plan so they can be partners in improving transitions and reducing readmissions. The newtoolkit chapter structures the process of working with family caregivers into five steps: identifying the family caregiver; assessing the family caregiver's needs; integrating the family caregiver's needs into the after-hospital care plan; sharing family caregiver information with the next setting of care; and providing telephone reinforcement of the discharge plan. Developed by researchers at Boston University Medical Center, the toolkit includes a set of 12 actions hospitals can implement to ensure effective transition at discharge. The new chapter was developed in collaboration with the United Hospital Fund. The project is supported by grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Frontline Innovators Video Series

The video series, Frontline Innovators on Providing Patient- and Family-Centered Care, includes three health care professionals sharing brief stories about how they have put the core concepts of patient- and family-centered care into practice.  

Healthy Transitions Webinars Available 

Recordings and slides of our monthly webinars are located on the Education page of the Healthy Transitions Colorado Website. 

Healthy Transitions Colorado Education Page 
In This Issue

 
Upcoming Events

Nurse Patient
Stay Connected

Like us on Facebook   Follow us on Twitter 
Healthy Transitions Colorado is a collaborative effort, focused on aligning and accelerating existing efforts to improve transitions of care for Coloradans. Our guiding principles are simple - by working together to break down the silos of health care, we can foster true community care coordination across facilities, specialties, and practices. 
 

 

 

HTC Operating partner logos

Copyright © 2014. All Rights Reserved.