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Patient Appreciation Activities
I am attaching summary of activities celebrated last week back to back to cover MWF and TTS patients to thank each patient for being with us and trusting us as part of their IDT for quality of life care at our facility.
THE THEME WAS TO BE AN EDUCATIONAL BINGO THEMED HEALTH FAIR SO PATIENTS WOULD BE PASSING THESE TABLES OUTSIDE AS THEY CAME IN OR EXITED THEIR DIALYSIS TREATMENTS. NURSING HOME PATIENTS WERE ESCORTED OUTSIDE TO ENSURE THEY ALSO PARTICIPATED IN GAMES, SOCIALIZING AND GRABBED THEIR GIVE-AWAYS AND LUNCH.
For these activities, I invited some of my contacts/ special guests :
- Prohealth- provided education in access care and give-aways.
- New York Psychotherapy Counseling Center- provided give-aways, informational brochures in Eng and Span, and appointments as requested for patients. ( This is a great community resource I have used for community patients regarding clinical depression screenings and KDQOL survey positive results. ( Open 7 days a week/ until 10pm/ psychiatrist available and no appointment necessary.)
- Mt. Sinai Kidney Transplant Liaison- provided education, appointments and informational handouts in Eng and Span.
- Ambutrans Ambulette – provided donuts/ muffins/ water bottles and give-aways. Also spoke to their patients to address complaints/ questions.
- Care Pro NY home attendant services – They also provided bilingual education on benefits/ requisites and give-aways.
- Dieticians - provided education on renal diet and give-aways.
- P.A.C. – Patient Representatives - meet your P.A.C. members table. Patients had an opportunity to meet P.A.C. members from each day. ( MWF & TTS)
** As you can see, I covered access care, mental health, transplant education/ option, transportation modalities (cab or ambulette), home care benefits/ requisites, renal diet and patient engagement with their PAC reps as well.**
I welcome your feedback 
Re: 30 Day Trial Program
To clarify: After the patient is permanently accepted, there is push back from staff about the patient's behavior?
Once the patient is accepted after 30 days they are a permanent placement.
Transportation issues are common and could be mitigated with some changes to the patient's schedule if it is reoccurring. The AVF placement is encouraged, but it is the patient's right and if they are not ready/able to change at this time it is not a reason for IVD.
Perhaps a training on the CFCs, patients rights and facilities obligations related to patient care.
Re: Six Ways to Use a CAHPS® Survey for Quality Improvement
Very nice, concise video. Items #2, #3, and #5 caught my attention. Thank you for sharing.
Machine-Learning System Could Aid Critical Decisions In Sepsis Care
Researchers from MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have developed a predictive model that could guide clinicians in deciding when to give potentially life-saving drugs to patients being treated for sepsis in the emergency room.
https://www.ictandhealth.com/news/machine-learning-system-could-aid-critical-decisions-in-sepsis-care/
Survey identifies opportunities to improve appropriate use of antibiotics in Australian hospitals
In 2017, around one-third of prescriptions for antimicrobials in participating Australian hospitals were assessed as not compliant with treatment guidelines. Almost 1 in 4 antimicrobial prescriptions were assessed as inappropriate.
The findings come in a report, Antimicrobial prescribing practice in Australian hospitals: Results of the 2017 Hospital National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey, released today by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission).
The Hospital National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey (Hospital NAPS) is an annual survey of antimicrobial prescribing in Australian hospitals conducted by the National Centre for Antimicrobial Stewardship (NCAS), as part of the Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Australia (AURA) Surveillance System. The NAPS was developed to provide a detailed assessment of antimicrobial prescribing practices and to support national comparisons.
Resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobials is recognised worldwide as a critical threat to public health. This report coincides with the global campaign for Antibiotic Awareness Week (12-18 November), endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), which encourages everyone to play a role in tackling antibiotic resistance.
IV heparin bolus or push, what rate, how fast?
Good morning
I wanted to get more info on how other hospitals give IV Heparin bolus/push
Can it be given as IV push over 1 min- 5min, what is the max?
Can we give as IV bolus, do we use the IV bag drip to give bolus or do we mix 5000 unit/50ml NS/D5W over10- 30 min,
What is the max rate to be given at?
IV Heparin bolus=_________________
IV heparin push ___________________
Can you please give me some information or a protocol you use at your institution
Thank you
CMS Awards Funding for Quality Measure Development
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded seven organizations new cooperative agreements to partner with the agency in developing, improving, updating, or expanding quality measures for Medicare’s Quality Payment Program (QPP). These cooperative agreements, authorized under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), represent the first funding initiative supporting public-private efforts to develop measures for the Quality Payment Program. Through these partnerships, CMS will work closely with external organizations—such as clinical professional organizations and specialty societies, patient advocacy groups, educational institutions, independent research institutions, and health systems—to develop and implement measures that offer the most promise for improving patient care.
More information at https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-awards-funding-quality-measure-development
U.S News 2018-19 Best Hospitals Rankings
U.S News released the 2018-2019 best hospitals in the U.S. rankings. Data was analyzed from nearly 5,000 medical centers and survey responses from more than 30,000 physicians to rank hospitals in 16 adult specialties including cancer, diabetes, rheumatology and more.
Read more: https://abouthealthtransparency.org/2018/08/u-s-news-releases-2018-19-best-hospitals-rankings/