Commenting on Ramona!

I read Ramona's AHRQ quality tool about The STAndards for BipoLar Excellence (STABLE) Resource Toolkit. This was quite interesting to me. I have never really had any dealing with mental disorders that I'm aware of. I sometimes am accused of suffering from one myself and that may be true. But, I think this is a great tool to help people become more familiar with these disorders.

Quality Tool Week 10

Improving Health Care Quality: A Guide for Patients and Families
This is a guide that provides information and resources to help you get better quality health care. I think this is a great guide for patients and families to learn how to become involved in their healthcare. You can read all the way through or go directly to the sections that interest you the most. The sections available are listed below:
*What affects health care quality and how to become involved
*How health care quality is measured
*Where to find measurement tools
*How to make more informed health care decisions
*How you can find out about clinical trials
The section that I thought was interesting was the "What affects health care quality and howto become involved”. These are the ways this sectioned advised patient and families to become involved:
*Work with your doctor, nurse, and other health care providers to make decisions about your care.
*Tell your doctor about all of the medicines you take.
*Read the label on your prescription right away when you pick up from the drug store. Make sure it is what the doctor ordered for you.
*If you have several health problems or are in a hospital, many people may be involved in your care.
*Ask questions, and keep asking them until you understand the answers.
*Ask your doctor what the scientific evidence has to say about your condition and treatment options. Know that "more is not always better." Be sure to find out why you need a test or treatment and how it can help you. You could be better off without it.
*Find and use information about quality measures when making health care choices.
http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/qntlite/qntlite.htm

Week 10 The End!!

Malpractice Settlement Data Could Go Online in North Carolina

In hopes of decreasing the number of malpractice suits, North Carolina is considering a plan to post information about medical malpractice suits online. This information may not necessarily be of any use to consumers considering the fact that they may not even know the information is available. However, I feel that posting this information to the public may make physician be more aware of what they are doing and there would possibly be less law suits or as the article stated the physician would be less likely to settle the law suit.

http://www.ihealthbeat.org/Articles/2008/5/5/Malpractice-Settlement-Data-Could-Go-Online-in-North-Carolina.aspx

Commenting on Rajni!!

I agree with Rajni about the intranet. From the intranet at UMMC I can access many areas such as the Hot Spots. I think that this is a good feature for large business to have.

Quality Tool Blog 8

The Digital Divide: What can Physicians Do to Bridge the Gap?

I thought this was a neat quality tool to help physician bridge that gap between the digital divide that they face in today's society. I know how it to is to use dial-up Internet. It's not fun. The area I live in was recently eligible for high speed Internet. When it comes to doing homework I feel like I'm in heaven now because I can submit my homework from home in 30 seconds opposed to 30 minutes. The world of health care is even a much more critical area and some patient are still on the bad side of this digital divide.This video discussed the many issues concerning patients that do not have good Internet access to be able to research and gain knowledge of their diseases. This video informs physicians of the necessity of thoroughly explain to patients every issue concerning this or her disease . With out Internet access, they are unable to research on their own. The other topics discussed in the video are listed below.
*The Internet explosion
*Pew Internet use survey results
*How consumerism has changed the
*doctor-patient relationship
*Patients' inability and reluctance to
*use the Internet as a resource
*Definition of Digital Divide
*Barriers to access
*Connectivity
*Availability
*Accessibility of information
*Who is affected?
*Increasing Internet usage
*Factors in the Digital Divide
*Relevance for physicians
*What physicians can do
*Alternative approaches

http://www.bigshouldersdubs.com/clients/ama/09_DigitalDivide.htm

Blog 8

Key strategies for sustained performance improvement

Health care facilities today, often find themselves in position where they must improve in order to keep business. For example, UMMC has been talking a lot about marketing to improve the concept that people have in their minds about what type of facility UMMC is. I found this website that has 3 strategies for improvement and thought it was very interesting.

• Strategy 1: Create a Culture of Continuous Improvement and Accountability
  
• Strategy 2: Identify Key Performance Improvement Opportunities and Performance Measures
  
• Strategy 3: Use Performance Measures to Understand and Improve Processes
  

I believe that each strategy is necessary. However strategy 1 is the one that that stood out to me. "Create a Culture of Continuous Improvement and Accountability". I believe that in order to keep a hospital in business it takes continuous improvement.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3257/is_11_58/ai_n6359510/pg_1?tag=artBody;col1

Commenting on Tammi!!

I think Tammi has a good point. Nobody knows when a JCAHO auditor my pop in a facility. You just may never know who could be putting on and preteding to be just a normal visiter. It pays to be nice to everyone because it just may be an auditor that you happen to mistreat. You sure don't want to ruffle thier feathers!!!

Quality Tool Blog 7

Color-coded Wristband Standardation in Arizona
I found this quality tool to be interesting because it educated the employees, of facilities in Arizona, on patient safety by using color-coded wristbands to alert healthcare providers of different precautions concerning each patient. The three different conditions that had a wrist band for was do not resuscitate (DNR) (purple bands) , allergies (red bands), and fall risk (yellow bands). I thought this was a neat tool and should be shared with other facilities across our country.
http://www.azhha.org/patient_safety/wristbandtoolkit.pdf

Blog 7

Hazard Communication: Foundation of Workplace Chemical Safety Programs
After studying about Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) in class I found this website to be interesting. It has laws and regulations that deal with chemical safety, which is a very important issue in healthcare as well as any other setting. It also has MSDS requirements. This is a good place for someone to look that is interested in knowing what is actually required to be on a MSDS. The thing I found to be the most interesting was the compliance links that this website contains. A few that stood out to me were eTools, grants, quick cards, record keeping, and training links. These seemed to be very important to someone working in compliance and it caught my attention because compliance is one area I may find myself working in the future.
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/hazardcommunications/index.html

Commenting on Allison!!

I thought Allison's quality tool was quite interesting. Because I agree that as HIM professionals, we should promote patient's taking charge of their own health. One of the question's she mentioned was, "Which hospital is best for my needs?". Before coming into this program I did not realize that I could get the grades of different hospitals and find out which hospital has the highest grade in the area that I need.

Week 6 Quality Tool

Gettin a Prescription

This tool kit has some of the best advice you can get when it comes to getting a prescription. Many people get their prescription filled but never even take the entire bottle of pills. For example, when I get an antibiotic for a cold or something of that nature, I never finish the antibiotic after I’m over the cold. I know that is not good to do, but I feel good so I don’t feel like I need medicine. The article makes it clear that knowing about your medication and what role it plays in your treatment is extremely important. I also think that it is necessary to track your medications. If someone is taking multiple medications it is a good idea to keep a list of his or her meds or bring all of his or her medication to every doctor visit. The last piece of advice that I thought was interesting is that patients should follow up on their treatment plan. It is a good idea to know whether or not you need a refill. It’s a good idea to make sure the medication is doing its job.

http://www.ahrq.gov/questionsaretheanswer/level3col_1.asp?nav=3colNav05&content=05_0_prescription

Week 6

Evidence-Based Management

This article points out that evidence-based management improves the quality of management decision-making. There are four key strategies pointed out to promote evidence-based management: Recognize and respond to growing demand for accountability as a strategic issue, establish organizational structures and processes for knowledge transfer, Build a questioning organization culture, and Build organizational research capabilities. Out of these, establish organizational structures and processes for knowledge transfer stood out to me. I feel that in a facility, if the HIM department is well known most people will go to them as a resource. We possess the necessary skills to provide quality information and transfer data As an HIM student, I’m striving to increase my knowledge in every area possible to help me be more marketable when I’m out in the workforce.

http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag_app/jsp/articledisplay.jsp?dcrpath=HHNMAG/Article/data/11NOV2007/0711HHN_Outbox&domain=HHNMAG

Commenting on Allison!

I Think Allison had a very good point that you should not try to begin another QI project until the one you are working on is complete. It seems that you would not be able to focus as much time and actually improve the quality of whatever project you are working in if your focus is in other areas. I also think that we should continue using the root cause analysis. The process is easy to figure out and the little dealing I’ve had with one seemed like it would work if followed through.

Blog 5

Infection Control Programs Get Executive Attention

HAI’s are something every hospital will face at some point in time. As we all know HAI’s can be very dangerous many times they can lead to a patient death. I found this article interesting because it lists ten steps that hospitals have taken to help with the prevention of HAI’s. One of the ten tips that really stood out to me was the last one listed in the article. The last tip was to use “antibiotic-impregnated central venous catheters to prevent catheter related infections”. This stood out to me because as we have all learned, UTI’s are one of the most common HAI’s.

http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag_app/jsp/articledisplay.jsp?dcrpath=HHNMAG/Article/data/08AUG2008/0808HHN_Scope_DataPage&domain=HHNMAG

Blog 5 Quality Tool

Healthy Schools, Healthy People

I thought this was a neat tool for school. It has a three step plan to get students excited and aware of the need to keed their hands clean to keep down the risk of spreading germs. This three step plan that was mentioned in the article is (1) Integrate standards-based hand cleaning activities into your curriculum (2) Have students create clean hands awareness campaigns/projects and (3) Submit projects for national recognition. I think that if student know they have to submit their project for a nation completion, they will be more focused and more apt to get involved. I thought that was a really good way to get student on board and help fight germs.

http://itsasnap.org/snap/pdfs/SNAP%20Toolkit%20FINAL%204.pdf

Commenting on Nettie

I thouth that was very intersting what Nettie had to say about the moblie hand sanitizers. That is a good way of helping to prevent germs in helahtcare as well as any other setting. Since your hands cary so many germs that can cause diseases it is a good idea to santize them as much as possible.

Blog 4 Quality Tool

Your Medicine Play It Safe

I thought this was a neat tool that someone taking a lot of medications would find handy. There is a form that has a place to list your doctors and their phone numbers, your nurse’s name and phone number, your pharmacist name and phone number, and a 24 hour Pharmacy and its phone number. This list is to be kept with you meds in case you a question concerning a certain medication. This tool also has a list of questions that should be asked before some medications are taken. The last thing I thought was interesting was the tips. Tools such as this, is just another attempt to better the quality of healthcare. This article listed 7 tips for people that take a lot of medications. If you have to take a lot of prescribed medications feel free to click on the link below. You are sure to find some helpful hint.

http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/safemeds/safemeds.htm

Blog 4

WorkSmart
Tips For Success – The Interview

I think that this is an excellent website for people to use for interview tips. This site includes: Tips for Success, Questions to Expect (What the Employer May Ask You), Questions to Ask the Employer, Pitfalls, Closing, and Thanks You Notes. For someone that is not familiar with interviewing, I think this is a good website to get on to help you with your interviewing skills. Since an interview is a very important role in an individual getting hire, I feel that is necessary to be prepare and know the ins and outs of the interview process.

http://www.worksmart.ca.gov/tips_interview.html

Commenting on Tammi!

I agree with Tammi, sharing data electronically is a risky issue. I feel that we as future HIM professionals should be willing to help find a way to secure date that is being transmitted electronically. The very data that may be stolen in the future could likely be our own PHI. I strongly agree that we need to do what it takes to make a change!

Blog Week 3-Quality Tool

This tool is a database that was designed to find publications from literature on the topic of Health Information Technology. I thought this was a great tool because it provides some very educational material that will help improve the quality and safety of healthcare in the United States. Another point on this website that was of interest to me is that it has answers to possible question that may arise while implanting new technology. I think tools such as this are very informative and greatly needed in that fast growing world of technology.

Health Information Technology

http://healthit.ahrq.gov/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=5562&mode=2&holderDisplayURL=http://prodportallb.ahrq.gov:7087/publishedcontent/publish/communities/a_e/ahrq_funded_projects/healthit_cost___benefits/home.html

Blog Week 3

This article made a good point about storyboards. Many times facilities are always making improvements that some people are too busy to notice. This facility used story boards to point out the changes and improvements that were made throughout their hospital. Although most people are busy, some of them will notice these storyboards because they are eye catching. I thought this was interesting that they chose storyboards to attract the attention of the employees. With storyboards more people will notice the improvements being made; not only the employees, but customer’s as well. I also thought it was very impressive that their storyboards were put on display at the JCAHO fair.

JCAHO storyboards document improvements, reflect culture

http://www2.kumc.edu/publications/inthecenter/pdf/061099.pdf

Commenting on Kim!

I would just like to say that I agree with Kim about the performance improvment ideas. Reading her blog about Pragmatic Problem-Solving reminded me of the "Fish" book that we had to read in our Human Resource class our first semester. The large banking group applied the same principles to their workday as the fish market did. The outcome showed the same results in the bank as it did for the fish market even though these two businesses had two completely different environments. I agree that performance improvement ideas can come from other industries other than healthcare.

Blog 2 9/5/08 Quality Tool

Act in Time to Heart Attack Signs

Tool Kit

The quality tool I chose is about knowing the signs of a heart attack. This is a very important tool that provides resources to inform people of the dangers and signs of heart attacks. Availability of tools such as this will increase better outcomes for patients with severe heart problems. This website consists of the definition of a heart attack, the warning signs and ways to survive a heart attack. It also provides answers to frequently asked questions dealing with heart attacks. Healthcare providers should take advantage of websites such as this by making them available to their patients. Often times, if a heart attack victim would have been aware of the signs and symptoms he or she could have possibly prevented having a heart attack. One of the biggest problems is not the lack of information available, but a lack of the use of that information. When a patient does not wait too late to be treated the outcome of their disease will be much better. I think when healthcare facilities take advantage of these educational tools, they are showing their desire to improve the quality of care given to their patients.



QualityTool:
Act in Time to Heart Attack Signs

http://www.innovations.ahrq.gov/content.aspx?id=338

Blog 2 9/5/08

The article I chose is about the growing concerns of inadequate healthcare in the United States. I find it very interesting that there has been a forum created for various people involved in health care to share ideas and help improve the downfalls in health care. This forum is called the National Quality Forum (NQF). I want to share with you the mission statement of this organization: “The mission of the National Quality Forum is to improve the quality of American healthcare by setting national priorities and goals for performance improvement, endorsing national consensus standards for measuring and publicly reporting on performance, and promoting the attainment of national goals through education and outreach programs.” (http://www.qualityforum.org/)
According to the article, there are many types of people that take advantage of the NQF including: consumer groups, healthcare purchasers, healthcare providers and health plans, and research and quality improvement organizations. I feel that this is a great way for organizations to compare their performance measures against other organizations. As the NQF website states, “Providers […] need comparative data to design improvement programs and compare their performance against regional and national benchmarks.” That statement is undoubtedly true. I feel that the NQF is a great tool to help accomplish that goal.



Nursing-Sensitive Quality Performance Measures: A Key to Health Care Improvement?

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4022/is_200503/ai_n13632951/print?tag=artBody;col1

8/28/08

Essentials of Public Reporting of Healthcare-Associated Infections: A Tool Kit
This article is about publically reporting health care data. It is an attempt to improve the quality of data that is put out for public use. The goal I chose to focus on is in Part B. Part B of this article is about the Personnel for data collection and quality improvement. This article states, “Studies have demonstrated that there is a significant discordance in the quality of data retrieved by those with training in infection prevention and control when compared to those with little or no training.” I agree that if a person is collecting data about a given topic, he or she should have the proper training. This would definitely be a big help in improving the quality of data being collected. This goes back to the old saying “garbage in, garbage out”. If bad data is collected, bad results will be produced. With better quality data there will be chances for better research and that will indirectly improve patient care.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/pdf/ar/06_107498_Essentials_Tool_Kit.pdf - Essentials of Public Reporting of Healthcare- Associated Infections: A Tool Kit

8/28/2008

Patient Satisfaction

Patient satisfaction is extremely important in keeping a business going. This article discusses patient safety in home healthcare settings. A good way to improve patient safety is the use of patient satisfaction surveys. I found it interesting that many times surveys are used for marketing purposes. Sometimes patient are reluctant to fill out surveys when they never see an improvement in the care they receive. Patients will continue feel this way until there is an obvious change in their healthcare. This article proved that a difference can truly be made if the data that is collected from patient satisfaction surveys are really used to make improvements. I also found it interesting that many home health institutes have started giving their patients surveys to fill out while they are still being taken care of. By doing this, the patient is better able to remember what actually went on during his or her experience with this organization. When a facility gets an opinion from patient thought the patient satisfaction surveys, it should be a tool that used to help identify areas that need changed and decide what action should be taken to fix the problem.

JHQ 145 – Using Patient Satisfaction Data to Improve Home Healthcare
http://www.nahq.org/journal/ce/article.html?article_id=205