Healthcare Digest 4/16: Tracking Soft Measurements in Patient Safety

There’s an excellent read over at Becker’s Hospital Review about the challenges of, and some solutions to, tracking soft measurements around patient safety.

“Capturing data on specific events, such as deaths, is relatively straightforward,” Sabrina Rodak macabrely proposes. However, other data points important for hospitals to keep a handle on, like patient safety culture and patient engagement, aren’t as easily trackable. Unfortunately, they’re just as critical.

What to do?

“There are some surveys of patient safety culture that are gaining ground among hospitals. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality released the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture in 2004 to help hospitals assess their safety climate. AHRQ benchmarks data from all hospitals who submit data from the survey. In the 2012 User Comparative Database Report, AHRQ compares results from 1,128 hospitals, compared with 1,032 hospitals in 2011. HSOPS includes 42 items designed to measure 12 areas of patient safety, including teamwork within units, and supervisor/manager expectations and actions promoting patient safety.”

Tuesday headlines:

Florida House Panel Approves Scaled-Down Low-Income Health Plan: “Ignoring a handful of protesters who launched a brief sit-in in the House Speaker’s office, a House panel Tuesday approved a controversial alternative to Medicaid expansion that would spend $237 million a year to provide some form of health care to 115,700 low-income Floridians.” [Sun Sentinel]

Happy National Healthcare Decisions Day! What Did You Get Me? “National Healthcare Decisions Day is an annual event the 16th of every April and is now in the sixth year. This event was organized to empower people about the importance of planning for the day they can no longer make healthcare decisions for themselves. Whether it be in old age from dementia or at a young age from an injury, a day will come where someone will have to make decisions for you. Who would you choose to make those decisions and what would you tell your surrogate to do for you? The goal is to make your wishes known, so those who love you can honor your healthcare choices.” [Forbes.com]

Congratulations, Prime Healthcare!: “Prime Healthcare Services was recognized today as one of the “15 Top Health Systems” in the nation by Truven Health Analytics (formerly Thomson Reuters) based on quality of care, efficiency and patient satisfaction. This is the third time in five years that Prime Healthcare has earned the national distinction. Prime Healthcare was the only for profit health system recognized in the nation.” [press release]