CMS project seeks innovative hospital quality practices to share nationwide
              

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services invites hospitals to submit innovative quality improvement practices to its Strategic Innovation Engine, which will evaluate them for possible dissemination across the nation. Targeted improvements include managing patients with multiple chronic conditions; engaging patients and families as active members of the care team; coordinating care within and across settings; streamlining patient flow; and integrating behavioral health into care. Organizations whose practices are selected will be recognized and celebrated nationally. For more information, please contact info@sie.qioprogram.org 
               

ASPR issues Zika planning resources for health care providers, coalitions
               

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response has issued resources to help health care providers and coalitions plan for a real or potential Zika virus outbreak. “A Zika outbreak is unlikely to result in large numbers of acutely ill patients needing simultaneous care, making surge planning for Zika unique from that of conventional disaster events, including those with an infectious disease component (e.g., pandemic influenza, Ebola),” the resource guide states. “In contrast, the known and suspected complications of Zika infection (including Guillain-Barré syndrome, microcephaly and other neurological disorders) are likely to disproportionately affect certain patient populations, most notably pregnant women and their developing fetuses. Treatment of these complications will likely require the participation of health care specialties and social services that may have limited experience with preparedness activities.” In addition to the guide, specific resources focus on planning for high-risk pregnancies and birth defects and supporting children with special health care needs.

             

CMS issues summary of findings from eCQM validation pilot
              

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should increase outreach, education and guidance to promote electronic clinical quality measures reporting and reduce the burden on hospitals, according to a summary of findings from a 2015 pilot assessing hospital readiness to submit eCQM data for the hospital inpatient quality reporting program. A CMS contractor could collect the required data via remote viewing sessions from the 29 participating hospitals, but many hospital electronic health records could not create complete and accurate files of patient-level data based on the 2014 eCQM specifications, the pilot found. CMS will invest in additional validation pilots to assist hospitals and vendors with the transition to eCQM reporting.
                   

                 

The White House has announced research investments and other actions to increase organ donation and reduce the waiting list for transplants. They include public-private initiatives to research and develop techniques to bio-fabricate tissues, advance organ and tissue preservation, and create an alternative to dialysis as renal replacement therapy, among other actions. In addition, more than 20 organizations, including Donate Life America, will work to drive up donor registrations through social media and other campaigns

                

Day in the Life of a Nurse™ will take place on Friday, the 4th of November this year and all clinical sites and accredited nursing schools are encouraged to make plans to host students on that day.  “More than 1,500 students from fifty-four high schools and middle schools took part in the program last year visiting fifty-three South Florida hosting hospitals and schools of nursing from Tavernier to Fort Pierce; a record that we hope to break this year,” remarked Maggie Hansen, Chief Nursing Officer at Memorial Regional Hospital and Consortium President.  “The Consortium provides hosting facilities a best practices tool kit and participating schools a curriculum.  We also coordinate the program with area public school systems and schedule a series of calls leading up to the event where those organizing Day in the Life of a Nurse experiences can get their questions answered by experienced program hosts,” noted Program Chair Joanne Masella, Nursing School Dean at Palm Beach Atlantic University.  Clinical sites and accredited nursing schools wishing to participate should send an email to Consortium Executive Director, Ralph Egües.

           

           

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has released its June report to Congress, which annually looks at issues affecting the Medicare program and health care delivery and services. The report also recommends a prototype design for a unified prospective payment system for skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, inpatient rehabilitation facilities and long-term care hospitals, as required by the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is expected to use the prototype to develop a PAC PPS by 2023. As previously proposed by MedPAC, the prototype would pay for post-acute care services based on a patient's clinical characteristics rather than the site of service. Also as previously proposed, the report recommends reducing dispensing and supplying fees for Medicare Part B drugs to rates similar to other payers, and giving isolated rural hospitals the option to convert to an outpatient-only model that would be sustainable in a community with declining inpatient volumes. The commission also recommends changes to the Part D program to lower program costs and protect beneficiaries with high costs. In addition, the report presents an analysis of Medicare telehealth services, including use of telehealth in Medicare Advantage, and recommends expanding the use of waivers in Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation programs to include a broader range of telehealth services.
              

AMA issues updated medical ethics code, guidance for ethical practice in telemedicine
              

The American Medical Association has adopted the first comprehensive update to its Code of Medical Ethics in more than 50 years, as well as separate ethical guidance for physicians who respond to individual health queries electronically or provide clinical services through telemedicine. The updated ethics code “keeps pace with emerging demands physicians face with new technologies, changing patient expectations and shifting health care priorities,” said AMA President Steven Stack, M.D. The telemedicine guidelines, to be published in coming months, include informing patients about the limitations of the relationship and services provided, and encouraging patients to inform their primary care physician about the encounter, among other recommendations.
                

An estimated 15% of Medicare patients filled a new prescription for an opioid within a week of being discharged from thehospital in 2011, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Four in 10 beneficiaries who filled a prescription within a week of hospital discharge also filled an opioid prescription more than 90 days after discharge. “Although we identified substantial variation across hospitals in new post-discharge opioid use, it is unknown whether this variation reflects differences in appropriate or inappropriate prescribing across hospitals,” the authors said. Hospitals that ranked more highly on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems measure for quality of inpatient pain control had higher rates of new post-discharge opioid use. The American Hospital Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also have released a resource to help hospital patients who may be prescribed opioids before discharge discuss the risks and benefits of these medications with their health care provider.