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How your healthcare organization can ensure accurate patient matching
Lisa Mulcahy Healthcare AdministrationCorrect patient matching on health records is an essential safety tool for any physician's office or hospital. Yet achieving it is a significant nationwide problem, according to eye-opening new research from eHealth Initiative Foundation and NextGate. Their recent study finds that 38% of surveyed providers report at least one adverse event due to patient record information errors in the past two years. You can do a lot right now to shore up your own patient matching system and cut down on confusion and possible life-threatening data mistakes. Therefore, it's crucial to put your attention and resources into five key areas, as follows.
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New study reports on incubation period of COVID-19
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareA new study on COVID-19, led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, estimates 5.1 days for incubation period and suggests that about 97.5% of people who develop symptoms of infection will do so within 11.5 days of exposure. The researchers estimated that for every 10,000 individuals quarantined for 14 days, only about 101 would develop symptoms after being released from quarantine. These estimates imply that, under conservative assumptions, in 101 out of every 10,000 cases, people will develop symptoms after 14 days of active monitoring or quarantine.
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Telehealth used in an attempt to curb coronavirus
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareAs the pandemic that is the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) grows, telehealth technology is finding its footing as people become more concerned about their level of exposure to the virus and as health systems expect to be overwhelmed with treating those affected. President Donald Trump recently signed an $8.3 billion package that, in part, allows Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar to waive Medicare telehealth payment restrictions during the coronavirus emergency.
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A facility management guide to virus protection
Scott E. Rupp Facilities & GroundsThe National Safety Council has updated its original statement from Jan. 31 on the coronavirus (COVID-19). The organization works to eliminate preventable deaths at work, in homes, in communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education, and advocacy, so its standing in the facility management world has a strong foundation. In its statement regarding the virus, it is urging employers to assess their risk of exposure and ensure procedures are in place to control transmission effectively. Likewise, workplace illness prevention training is imperative for all employees, the NSC adds.
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How technology can help to contain COVID-19 — and how it can’t
Tammy Hinojos Medical & Allied HealthcareAs the world navigates the coronavirus outbreak, a few key technologically advanced tools are front and center in the fight to contain COVID-19. Digital tools like telehealth, consumer-facing AI-based chatbots and remote patient monitoring could play a key role in assisting with containing the virus and helping people who think they might have been exposed. Some experts warn that these tools are not a total solution, but they could be helpful as one part of a large, comprehensive and integrated plan.
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Healthcare thought leaders: Who they are, and why we need them
Keith Carlson Medical & Allied HealthcareThe notion of the thought leader is not necessarily new, but the term does continue to receive a great deal of attention in these early decades of the 21st century. A thought leader is sometimes self-identified or possibly recognized by their industry as an individual with their finger on the pulse of change. In that regard, why are thought leaders important to recognize in healthcare, nursing, medicine, and related fields?
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Telepresence robots: A healthcare trend that’s surprisingly cost-effective
Lisa Mulcahy Medical & Allied HealthcareTelepresence is an important trend for healthcare in 2020. As an administrator and/or physician, you may already use it for remote applications, such as consultations with patients and specialists. But adding robotics as a facet of your telepresence strategy can be a lot easier to implement than it may seem — and a lot less expensive, too. Here are some of the technology's most exciting applications that can be used at your healthcare facility today.
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Report: Healthcare hacks continue to skyrocket
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareHealthcare data breaches continue to be a significant problem for patients and organizations. In 2019, more than 41 million patient records were breached, as per the findings of a report from Protenus and DataBreaches.net. Additionally, based on these reported findings, the number of hacks nearly tripled from the year prior when 15 million patient records were affected by breach incidents. Protenus analyzed data breach incidents disclosed to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and/or the media during 2019.
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Prehabilitation: Helping patients prepare for surgery
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcarePatients often feel anxious before surgery, especially in the days leading up to the procedure, which may be spent in pre-surgery preparation. Prehabilitation (prehab) is an inexpensive program that involves using the weeks before surgery to get mentally and physically ready for their upcoming procedures. After the first prehab test in surgery inpatients in 21 hospitals across Michigan, the approach showed reductions in total medical costs related to patients' care and shorter hospital stays compared to similar patients who had surgery before the program began.
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How lifesaving organs for transplant go missing in transit
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareLosing luggage on a commercial flight is an inconvenience, but losing an organ for transplant could cost a life. Alarmingly, scores of organs are discarded each year because they do not reach their destination in time. Organs for transplant have a relatively short shelf life — ranging from six hours for hearts and lungs to 30 hours for kidneys — and there are frequently hundreds of miles between the donor and the recipient. To get to their destinations while still viable, organs are often flown on commercial airliners. Sometimes, flight delays and mishaps can prevent organs from reaching their recipients in time.
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