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Updates to the Nursing Home Compare Website and the Five Star Quality Rating System
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced changes to the Nursing Home Compare website and the Five Star Quality Rating System [October 23, 2019 website update]. CMS Memo QSO-20-02-NH discusses changes to the quality measures and the...
What’s Next: National AIMS and Community Coalitions
Our team is eagerly waiting to get started facilitating change and improvement across our region. The Great Plains Quality Care Coalition will be the platform. Individuals receiving care, community leaders and healthcare professionals will be at the table; working...
Diabetes Self-Management Journey to Health
Chronic health conditions are the leading cause of death and disability in the United States. They are also the leading drivers of the nation’s $3.3 trillion in annual healthcare costs. In the United States, one in two adults has a chronic condition and one in...
Columbus Community Hospital’s Interdisciplinary Teams Reduce Readmissions
Columbus Community Hospital (CCH) in Columbus, Nebraska was recently featured during a national training hosted by the American Hospital Association. The training, Making the Case – How Team-Based Approaches Improve Value (improving outcomes, enhancing patient...
Healthcare Quality Week 2019 – We Celebrate You!
Healthcare Quality Week (HQW), brought to you by National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ), is the week dedicated to celebrating the contributions professionals have made to improve healthcare quality. It also gives us an opportunity to bring greater...
Reminder: October 26: National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
it is time to start preparing for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day! The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.9 million Americans...
Tobacco Use: VA Policies, QUIT Assistance and Vaping Related Illness
Veterans Affairs (VA) is implementing two new policies eliminating smoking on the grounds of healthcare facilities by patients, visitors, volunteers, contractors, vendors and employees. The policy applies to cigarettes, cigars, pipes (including electronic and...
HHS Releases Guide for Appropriate Tapering or Discontinuation of Long-Term Opioid Use
Prescription opioid use continues to contribute to significant morbidity and mortality in the United States. Benefits can outweigh the risks when limiting opioid prescribing in some situations, however, rapidly decreasing or abruptly discontinuing long-term...
Vaccines are Everybody’s Business
International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW) International Infection Prevention Week is October 13 - 19, 2019 With measles cases now numbering more than 1,200 and spreading nationwide, protecting our “herd” through vaccination is more important than ever before. In...
October 26: National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
it is time to start preparing for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day! The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.9 million Americans...