The degree and frequency of medical errors and as well as increasing problems related to healthcare inefficiencies were brought to light in 1999 after the Institute of Medicine released To Err Is Human—a report which would later send ripples through the healthcare industry. In light of this report, regulating agencies have since joined efforts with healthcare providers and institutions to improve the delivery and quality of care. Among the most well-known healthcare quality and safety organizations are the Joint Commission (JC), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National Quality Forum (NQF) .
By collaborating with stakeholders and evaluating the care provided …show more content…
Patient safety is a very important aspect of transitions of care. Therefore, the Discharge Planning department works hard to ensure that all patients have an appropriate discharge plan in place. Whether a patient is discharged to a sub-acute rehabilitation center, their home, or transferred to another acute hospital each transition poses potential safety risks to the patient. The Centers for Medicare and Medicare (CMS) reported that 18-20% of beneficiaries experience readmission within 30 days of discharge and these unnecessary readmissions cost the Medicare program as much as $17 billion in 2010 (Fox & Felkey, 2013). Due to this data, local, state, and federal organizations have initiated quality improvement efforts targeted at improving transitions of care. In 2009, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) released standardized readmission rates for heart failure, pneumonia, and heart attacks, thus placing hospitals at risk of facing penalties for exceedingly high readmission rates (Kripalani, Theobald, Anctil, & Vasilevskis, …show more content…
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, enacted on February 17, 2009 by President Obama, has had a profound impact on healthcare. It has driven the widespread use HIT by allocating $19 billion in incentives for those who demonstrate “meaningful use” of electronic medical records (EHRs) (Nash et al., 2016). A key component of the HITECH Act is increasing system interoperability and data exchange. The Department of Defense (DoD) has modeled this by deploying an enterprise-wide EHR. Our DoD medical center , maintains an open information exchange between all military treatment centers through the use of Essentris (in-patient) and AHLTA (outpatient) EHR platforms. These programs provide near real-time information on any patient receiving care at a DoD facility anywhere around the world. Equipped with medication, lab, and radiologic computerized order entry modules to result retrieval and diagnostic support tools these systems enhance the provision of safe and effective care for our service members and their beneficiaries. Through the use of multi-disciplinary rounds, facilitation of follow up appointments, proactive medication reconciliation, and use of enterprise wide EHR we have been able to ensure safer transitions of care, reduce readmissions, and decrease patient safety incidents related to
By collaborating with stakeholders and evaluating the care provided …show more content…
Patient safety is a very important aspect of transitions of care. Therefore, the Discharge Planning department works hard to ensure that all patients have an appropriate discharge plan in place. Whether a patient is discharged to a sub-acute rehabilitation center, their home, or transferred to another acute hospital each transition poses potential safety risks to the patient. The Centers for Medicare and Medicare (CMS) reported that 18-20% of beneficiaries experience readmission within 30 days of discharge and these unnecessary readmissions cost the Medicare program as much as $17 billion in 2010 (Fox & Felkey, 2013). Due to this data, local, state, and federal organizations have initiated quality improvement efforts targeted at improving transitions of care. In 2009, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) released standardized readmission rates for heart failure, pneumonia, and heart attacks, thus placing hospitals at risk of facing penalties for exceedingly high readmission rates (Kripalani, Theobald, Anctil, & Vasilevskis, …show more content…
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, enacted on February 17, 2009 by President Obama, has had a profound impact on healthcare. It has driven the widespread use HIT by allocating $19 billion in incentives for those who demonstrate “meaningful use” of electronic medical records (EHRs) (Nash et al., 2016). A key component of the HITECH Act is increasing system interoperability and data exchange. The Department of Defense (DoD) has modeled this by deploying an enterprise-wide EHR. Our DoD medical center , maintains an open information exchange between all military treatment centers through the use of Essentris (in-patient) and AHLTA (outpatient) EHR platforms. These programs provide near real-time information on any patient receiving care at a DoD facility anywhere around the world. Equipped with medication, lab, and radiologic computerized order entry modules to result retrieval and diagnostic support tools these systems enhance the provision of safe and effective care for our service members and their beneficiaries. Through the use of multi-disciplinary rounds, facilitation of follow up appointments, proactive medication reconciliation, and use of enterprise wide EHR we have been able to ensure safer transitions of care, reduce readmissions, and decrease patient safety incidents related to