Influenza Vaccination for the Healthcare Community

Influenza Vaccination for the Healthcare Community

Healthcare workers can reduce or eliminate the spread of contagious diseases simply by being vaccinated. Healthcare providers are at risk for exposure to serious, sometimes deadly, diseases. Therefore, it is critical to stay current with the appropriate vaccines for...
Implementing Just Culture Within Indian Health Service

Implementing Just Culture Within Indian Health Service

Organizational leaders must set the standard and, more importantly, demonstrate the behaviors and expectations essential to a safe and transparent culture. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) defines a culture of safety as one “in which healthcare...
SEPSIS: Help Us Spread Awareness

SEPSIS: Help Us Spread Awareness

In 2011, Sepsis Alliance designated September as Sepsis Awareness Month. Every September since, individuals and healthcare professionals, in every area of medicine and organizations big and small, are encouraged to help save lives by raising awareness of the leading...
Did You Know There are Two Pneumonia Vaccines?

Did You Know There are Two Pneumonia Vaccines?

Did you know there are two pneumonia vaccines? Pneumococcal vaccines help prevent infections caused by Streptococcus pneumonia bacteria. In older adults, this disease can cause serious illness or even death. Each year in the United States, pneumococcal disease kills...
Team Member Reflections: Joy and Satisfaction

Team Member Reflections: Joy and Satisfaction

As you may know, the Great Plains Quality Innovation Network is part of the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) program, funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). At this time, CMS is working to identify priority areas for the QIO program...
Are Your Immunization Records Up to Date?

Are Your Immunization Records Up to Date?

August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). This annual observance highlights the efforts of healthcare providers to protect patients of all ages against vaccine-preventable diseases through on-time vaccination. During NIAM, Great Plains Quality Innovation...
Patient Safety and Engagement

Patient Safety and Engagement

Originally published in the South Dakota Medicine Journal August 2019 issue. Stephan Schroeder, MD, CMD, CMQ Medical Director, South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care Health care is a complex, adaptive system where people, processes and technology intersect in a work...
Team Member Reflections: Joy and Satisfaction

Team Member Reflections: Successful Initiatives

As you may have heard, the Great Plains Quality Innovation Network is part of the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) program, funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). At this time, CMS is working to identify priority areas for the QIO...
Drug Overdose Deaths Drop in U.S. for First Time Since 1990

Drug Overdose Deaths Drop in U.S. for First Time Since 1990

United States drug overdose deaths last year dropped for the first time in nearly 2 decades, federal health officials reported. Access the National Center for Health Statistics Vital Statistics Rapid Release report. According to the Centers for Disease Control and...