And this stunning graph that should raise a few eyebrows. (What are Americans spending their tax revenues on?) Firstly, all countries in this graph have followed an upward trajectory (life expectancy increased as health expenditure increased), but the U.S. stands out as an exception following a much flatter trajectory; gains in life expectancy from additional …
Author Archives: leadershipvision
Part 2 – Identities Revealed – You are what you eat
Which products are the perpetrators on the crowded shelf? The most questionable claims and safety involve weight loss products, products to improve sexual performance, and body building products. Many of these so called natural supplements have been found to contain prescription drugs or steroids. Liver and kidney function, blood pressure can be adversely affected as …
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Caveat Emptor: To Eat or Not to Eat – dietary supplements
Let’s start this article with a riddle. What do more than 50% of Americans spend billions of dollars on yearly, and is the most popular alternative health therapy in the nation? If you answered dietary supplements instead of Disney World you are correct. What goes on behind the shelves and shelves of products with 1000 …
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JC New National Patient Safety Goals
The Joint Commission anticipates the new and revised National Patient Safety Goals will improve patient safety and quality of care by reducing morbidity and mortality, as well as health care costs and length of stays associated with CAUTIs. The R3 Report is available here.
It‘s Not Just Old Age – Depression in the Elderly
The following scenario is played out with increasing regularity in the nation: An elderly person, let’s call her Edith is living alone because she has lost her husband. Due to one or more chronic conditions she has decreased independence. Maybe she can’t drive any more and needs to use a walker or wheelchair. Her condition …
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Texting Patient Orders Still up in the air with Joint Commission
The new policy unraveled in May of this year put out by the Joint Commission would have opened the door for texting to be used as an effective communication tool to exchange patient orders. Initially, the policy what is welcome news because it would’ve made sharing patient info easier. Summarized, it stated, along with some …
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The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare release Oro™ 2.0
The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare has released Oro™ 2.0, an online assessment and resource library designed to assist hospital leaders with determining their organization’s level of maturity in multiple components of high reliability and striving for the goal of zero preventable harm. Oro 2.0 is a Web-based assessment for hospital leadership that is …
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Joint Commission launches Speak Up™ Antibiotics campaign
Speak Up™ is an Antibiotics campaign targeted to the public in an attempt to educate on the appropriate and safe use of antibiotics, as well as the risks associated with antibiotic overuse. From JC: Each year, an estimated 2 million people in the United States become infected with bacteria that antibiotics cannot treat because the …
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Hospitals Overcharging Consumers at 10X Cost
The problem with hospitals being owned by for-profit entities is that pricing can be arbitrary. IF you can get away with overcharging it doesn’t matter where you are, so long as people pay. Some hospitals gouge even further than the usual song and dance between healthcare provider and insurance. The largest offenders seem to be …
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New Joint Commission Medical Imaging Standards
The Joint Commission has issued new standards around protocols, documentation and education that are designed to reduce unnecessary medical imaging and improve quality and safety. The Joint Commission standards for diagnostic imaging are designed to help prevent duplicate and unnecessary medical imaging of patients, and reduce potentially harmful exposure to radiation when patients need CT …
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