by sfredenburg | Mar 21, 2019 | Care Coordination, Featured, Great Plains QIN, Hospitals, Medication Safety, Quality Payment Program
The slide from prescription to addiction can be a fast ride and result in unintended and devastating consequences for families and communities. The impact of opioid overdose and abuse spread so broadly and so quickly that the United States Department of Health and...
by Geneal Roth | Mar 4, 2019 | Featured, Great Plains QIN, Medication Safety
Escalating use of prescription opioids for pain management has contributed to the opioid epidemic through misuse and overuse. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an expanded version of the Opioid Prescribing Mapping Tool to ensure that...
by Keri McDermott | Feb 26, 2019 | Featured, Great Plains QIN, Medication Safety
On February 5, Patient Engagement HIT reported that strong communication between patients and providers, patient education and reduced costs help patients better manage their medications, according to a survey from DrFirst. More than half of the 200 patients surveyed...
by selsen | Feb 19, 2019 | Antibiotic Stewardship, Featured, Great Plains QIN, Medication Safety
Each year in the United States, there are an estimated 141.4 million visits to the Emergency Department (ED), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.¹ Pain is the top reason for these encounters, with one study showing pain as a chief complaint in...
by Geneal Roth | Feb 15, 2019 | Antibiotic Stewardship, Featured, Great Plains QIN, Medication Safety
Learn what’s working in the United States. Every day, more than 130 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids.¹ The misuse of and addiction to opioids—including prescription pain relievers, heroin and synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl—is a serious...
![Reducing Chronic Pain through Evidence-Based Programs [NCOA Issue Brief]](https://i0.wp.com/greatplainsqin.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/females-doc-pt1280x300-1.jpg?resize=1080%2C300&ssl=1)
by Keri McDermott | Feb 5, 2019 | Antibiotic Stewardship, Featured, Great Plains QIN, Medication Safety
Older and middle-aged adults in the United States account for about 80 percent of those who experience chronic pain.1 Since the most common treatment for chronic pain is analgesics or pain relievers, older adults have been increasingly prescribed medications,...
by Geneal Roth | Jan 25, 2019 | Care Coordination, Featured, Great Plains QIN, Medication Safety
Two recent studies have provided results that demonstrate the role and value of pharmacists in reducing hospital readmissions. The first study published in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy shows reduced 30-day readmissions with pharmacist...
by Nikki Divis | Jan 22, 2019 | Antibiotic Stewardship, Cardiac Care, Care Coordination, Colorectal Cancer Screening, Diabetes Care, Featured, Great Plains QIN, Immunizations, Medication Safety
Great Plains QIN is partnering with communities throughout the region to unite stakeholders, consumers and healthcare providers to improve communication and care coordination – resulting in reduced hospital admissions, readmissions and medication harm. A team at Great...
by Keri McDermott | Jan 14, 2019 | Antibiotic Stewardship, Featured, Great Plains QIN, Medication Safety
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) aims to save lives and prevent prescription opioid misuse, Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and overdose by equipping providers with the knowledge, tools and guidance they need. The CDC’s Guidelines for Prescribing...
by sfredenburg | Jan 4, 2019 | Antibiotic Stewardship, Cardiac Care, Care Coordination, Diabetes Care, Featured, Great Plains QIN, Hospitals, Meaningful Use, Medication Safety, Quality Payment Program
Healthcare is personal. Any individual in need of healthcare services becomes vulnerable. The level of comfort and confidence relayed by healthcare professionals at every stage of care can impact positive health outcomes. Long waits, big words and confusing bills may...
by Geneal Roth | Dec 14, 2018 | Featured, Great Plains QIN, Medication Safety
As one of the largest payers of healthcare services, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) plays a central role in addressing the opioid epidemic. CMS is focusing on three key areas—prevention, treatment and data. To target these key areas, CMS is...
by Keri McDermott | Dec 4, 2018 | Antibiotic Stewardship, Featured, Great Plains QIN, Medication Safety
According to the CDC, the amount of opioids prescribed and sold since 1999 has nearly quadrupled, yet there has not been an overall change in the amount of pain Americans report. We have a genuine and devastating epidemic of opiate abuse in this country, and it is of...
