Joint Commission journal on quality and patient safety / Joint Commission Resources
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Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Aug 2020
A Comparison of Estimated Cost Savings from Potential Reductions in Hospital-Acquired Conditions to Levied Penalties Under the CMS Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program.
The Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP) from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reduces Medicare payments to hospitals with high rates of hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) by 1% each year. It is not known how the savings accruing to CMS from such penalties compare to savings resulting from a reduction in HACs driven by this program. This study compares the reported savings to CMS from financial penalties levied under the HACRP with savings resulting from potential reductions in HACs. ⋯ The penalties levied under the HACRP far exceed the potential cost savings accruing from a 1%-20% reduction in HACs that might result from hospitals' efforts in response to the program.
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Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf · Aug 2020
Standardizing Point-of-Care Ultrasound Credentialing Across a Large Health Care System.
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is becoming prevalent in the daily practice of bedside clinicians. As large health care systems standardize practice patterns, an organized approach of credentialing physicians in POCUS is paramount for quality and patient safety. This study describes a systematic approach of credentialing a diverse group of community emergency physicians (EPs) across a large health care system. ⋯ A standardized POCUS credentialing initiative can be successfully implemented in large health care systems. Other specialties can use this initiative to implement POCUS into their daily practice.