Search Tag: Quality

2015 01 Sep

The challenges of addressing ICU-acquired weakness with a mobility programme are the focus of a recent article in Clinics in Chest Medicine. While the cause of ICU-acquired weakness is known and physical therapy and mobility during acute illness is a proven intervention that is not prohibitively expensive implementation in ICUs lags behind. Authors...Read more

2015 15 Aug

In 2014, there were 95 hospital mergers, the highest since 2000. It is being forecasted that within the next five years, around 20 percent of all U.S. hospitals will seek a merger. A Viewpoint published in JAMA evaluates the implications of hospital conglomerates and the growing trend of hospital consolidation with respect to quality, access,...Read more

2015 14 Apr

Hospital systems interested in mining text documents for medical knowledge that can improve the quality of care should consider using natural language processing (NLP). The text analysis technique allows computers to derive meaning from medical records, which can then be interpreted by clinicians and quality control experts. That makes it possible...Read more

2015 18 Mar

A study which assessed the relationship between social media and healthcare quality evaluations reveals that hospital ratings submitted by patients and consumers via social media, such as Facebook’s five-star system, accurately reflect patient satisfaction and care quality as measured by readmission rates. The finding that feedback from user-generated...Read more

2015 16 Mar

Nationwide Children’s Hospital has received NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition for using evidence-based, patient-centred processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long-term, participative relationships the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) announced. Nationwide Children’s achieved Level 3 standards, the highest...Read more

2015 28 Jan

Healthcare leaders face huge challenges in delivering high quality safe care, said Benjamin Frank, CEO of the Cleveland Clinic Sheik Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) in Abu Dhabi,speaking at the Quality Management Conference at Arab Health in Dubai this week.   The challenges include access and waiting times, primary health reform, human resources, chronic...Read more

2014 04 Dec

Looking at data and just presenting it in a scientific session is not enough, said Woojin Kim MD, University of Pennsylvania, speaking at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting in Chicago this week. “We need to convert that data, get insights from it, and be able to act on it. If you cannot get to the action phase, it’s not...Read more

2014 03 Dec

There are many new quality metrics available for radiology, but no agreement on what to use, said Anand Narayan, MD, PhD,a radiology resident at Johns Hopkins University, speaking at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago this week. His study reviewed quality metrics in radiology in academic and private...Read more

2014 08 Nov

Key Points • A central, integrated radiology department offers many opportunities with regard to quality, 24/7 coverage, logistics, economics, management and specialised logistic support compared to decentralised imaging structures. • Sub-specialisation related to clinical fields and continuous participation in multidisciplinary activities...Read more

2014 19 Sep

CHICAGO - Building on its landmark  study  with RAND Corp. confirming that discontent with electronic health records (EHRs) is taking a significant toll on physicians, the American Medical Association (AMA) today called for solutions to EHR systems that have neglected usability as a necessary feature. Responding to the urgent physician need for better...Read more

2014 17 Sep

Demonstrating quality through comprehensive data collection on interventional radiology procedures was the focus of a talk by Dr. Peter Reimer from Germany at the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology Society of Europe Congress in Glasgow this week. Through this initiative the German Society for Interventional Radiology and Minimally Invasive...Read more

2014 17 Aug

Hospital accreditation is frequently selected by healthcare leaders as a method to improve quality and is an integral part of healthcare systems in more than 70 countries. However, as cost containment continues to be a concern in many hospitals, organisations need to assess the value of accreditation as a long-term investment. Empirical studies that...Read more

2014 11 Aug

Hospital admission rates for patients with heart failure (HF) presenting for emergency department (ED) care vary, and the implications of direct discharge home from the ED are unknown. There is a substantial economic burden of HF admissions and a focus on readmissions as a quality of care measure. However, there is little appreciation of the pitfalls...Read more

2014 05 Aug

Use of imaging referral guidelines has been shown to improve appropriateness of imaging, reducing numbers of examinations typically by  20%. In the UK, the relatively low per caput dose (<20% versus 48% in the U.S.) is attributed largely through the appropriate use of clinical radiology. Imaging referral guidelines with dose information are required...Read more

2014 27 Jul

Ensuring appropriate use of cardiovascular (CV) imaging is an increasingly important aspect of medical decision-making and care delivery. Given the continuing escalation of U.S. healthcare expenditures, choosing "the right test for the right patient at the right time" has never been more relevant.  While appropriate use criteria (AUC) for CV imaging...Read more

2014 25 Apr

Closing Conference of the InterQuality Project: Since December 2010, the InterQuality project investigates the effects of financing systems on the quality of healthcare. The knowledge gained from the 4-year research provides input for European countries to choose the right financing mechanisms in different areas of their healthcare systems, according...Read more

2014 09 Mar

A Swiss project in a multicentre private radiology clinic, which was presented at the European Congress of Radiology this week evaluated the quality of radiology reporting. Presenter Dr. Tarek Laswad, from the  Groupe 3R, Réseau Radiologique Romand in Switzerland, emphasised that the aim was not peer review, but to evaluate the quality of the elements...Read more

2014 08 Mar

Volpara Solutions has launched VolparaAnalytics and VolparaDose, two new quantitative breast imaging software tools built on the Volpara algorithm, which enables the generation of volumetric measurements, including density, patient specific dose, and applied pressure. Volpara is showcasing the expanded suite of breast imaging software tools for the...Read more

2014 27 Jan

Philips and Russia’s largest network of private clinics sign MOU for strategic partnership Royal Philips and MEDSI, Russia’s largest network of private clinics, have announced a strategic partnership to develop a clinical network aimed at providing efficient medical care in Russia.  MEDSI president Alexey Chupin, and Peter Vullinghs, CEO...Read more

2013 28 Nov

Author Dr . Neelam Dugar Consultant Radiologist Doncaster & Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Trust Doncaster, UK [email protected]   Key Points Radiology report quality is integral to patient care; Standards of radiology report quality must be defined; Teleradiology and local radiology...Read more

2013 28 Nov

A Canadian Solution for Collaboration and Quality Assurance in Radiology Authors Dr . Nadine Koff President and Co-founder RealTime Medical Toronto Ontario, Canada [email protected]   Prof . David A. Koff Co-founder RealTimeMedical, Associate Professor...Read more

2013 17 Oct

The TMC Radiology Quality Award has been launched by Telemedicine Clinic, Europe’s leading teleradiology company. Promoting quality initiatives within European radiology by way of a €10,000 prize, the first TMC award ceremony will take place in Vienna at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR), March 6–10, 2014. Medical imaging is distancing itself...Read more

2013 05 Jun

At first glance, America is making great strides toward a medical and cultural shift in its approach to end-of-life care: More and more providers are recognizing the benefits of hospice, more people are dying at home, and many health care organizations are institutionalizing the discussions between providers and patients that would help patients...Read more