Author: Jess White

Another renowned rating system recently released its list of top hospitals. U.S. News & World Report’s 30th annual Best Hospitals rankings take a few different elements into account this year to help patients make better decisions about their health care.  As in previous years, U.S. News ranked hospitals in 12 specialties based on publicly available …

For years, hospitals have been judged on their performance in patient satisfaction surveys – particularly the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).  However, the HCAHPS survey has its flaws, and several hospital associations and groups are encouraging the feds to update it …

Hospitals are full of alarms that constantly go off – sometimes for no reason at all. Not only does this contribute to alarm fatigue among clinicians, it also has detrimental effects on patients’ recovery. Researchers are trying to create alarms that solve these problems, which could revolutionize care in your hospital.  Currently, most alarms give …

The threat of infection is everywhere in hospitals, but the presence of certain conditions or medical equipment may make patients more likely to contract an infection. New research shows that hospitalized patients with indwelling devices, such as catheters, may be at significant infection risk.  Patients with catheters are 25% more likely to be diagnosed with …

Burnout is high among doctors, nurses and other clinical staff. If workers are at the end of their ropes, they can’t effectively take care of patients, so it’s essential for hospitals to do what they can to support clinical staff and reduce their stress.  Facilities have tried a variety of approaches, from animal therapy to …

Robocalls aren’t just disturbing people on their personal phones anymore. Hospitals are increasingly becoming targets of robocall schemes, and it could make facilities more vulnerable to fraud.  A recent article in the Washington Post discusses the phenomenon. Scammers will use machines to auto-dial numbers with pitches for products or ploys to steal personal info. As …

Medical errors continue to be a significant problem for American hospitals. One state decided to take a deep dive into its hospitals’ issues with errors – and the approach it’s taking can apply to facilities across the country.  Recently, state patient safety officials in Massachusetts released a report detailing the impact of medical errors in …

Drones aren’t just for aerial photos anymore. The technology’s getting much more advanced. Amazon will be using them to deliver packages soon – and they’re also being used for health care. In the not-too-distant future, drones could be an essential part of your hospital.  Internationally, drones are being used to deliver blood and other critical …

Many hospitals rely on volunteers to augment the care clinicians provide to patients. But just like with paid positions, it can be difficult to recruit and retain good, reliable people. That’s why hospitals should put as much effort into finding and keeping volunteers as they do to fill other roles.  Launching a marketing campaign to …

The Leapfrog Group has just released its latest Hospital Safety Grades, and while many hospitals are performing well, the facilities near the bottom of the list are still dangerous for patients – so more work must be done.  This year’s scores show that facilities have made significant progress toward improvement overall. In fact, according to …