I-PASS the BATON

More evidence for implementing standardized handover protocols

Standardized handoffs reduce patient harm modernhealthcare.com

Significant reductions in medical errors and preventable adverse events are possible when healthcare providers standardize the way patients are handed off from one physician to the next during shift changes, according to a new study. Read More

Team-based approach cuts alarm fatigue by 80 percent

The concern over alarm fatigue is so great that last December, the Joint Commission named alarm fatigue reduction a National Patient Safety Goal and requires accredited providers to improve their alarm systems to reduce it.

To reduce alarm fatigue and better manage alarms, hospitals must develop a systemic approach that considers staffing patterns, care models, architectural layouts, patient populations and staff responsibilities.

To learn more:
- read the study abstract
- here's the hospital announcement

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More telehealth makes the cut for Medicare coverage next year

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its final rule that will lead to changes in coverage under Medicare Part B. The rule, proposed in July, will expand the range of telehealth services that can be reimbursed under Medicare starting in 2015.
CMS added telemedicine codes for an “annual wellness visit” including a personalized prevention plan of service — one code for the initial visit and another for subsequent visits.

In the area of mental healthcare, CMS has added codes for psychoanalysis and family psychotherapy (which has two codes, one for family therapy with the patient present and one for family therapy with the patient absent). The next two codes are ones that therapists use to report sessions that go overtime or require additional time over the scheduled hour-long visit — these will now be eligible for reimbursement via telehealth. Read More
 

Age, education critical to device use for docs and patients

Acceptance and use of mHealth devices for medical care by doctors and patients varies given age and education levels, according to a research report from Hannover Medical School in Germany, which examined how medical staff and patients perceive mHealth devices.
Read More

Longer hospital stay equals lower mortality, fewer readmissions

One extra day in the hospital cuts costs and significantly reduces the chance of the need to readmit Medicare patients within 30 days, a new study from Columbia Business School found.
Another study released two years ago also found that the longer a patient is in the hospital, the less likely he or she is to be readmitted. That study found a "modest but significant drop" in the 30-day readmission rate, which researchers attributed to the additional care patients received during the extra days in the hospital.  Read More