Sepsis Champions: Making All the Difference
September is Sepsis Awareness Month. Nikki Medalen, MS, BSN, APHN-BC; Quality Improvement Specialist in North Dakota, has been instrumental in increasing awareness of sepsis and the symptoms for early recognition. As an EMT who volunteers in her own rural community,...
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World Sepsis Day: Stop Sepis. Save Lives [September 13]
World Sepsis Day is an initiative by the Global Sepsis Alliance, a non-profit charity organization with the mission to provide global leadership to reduce the worldwide burden of sepsis. World Sepsis Day is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight...
Invitation – Dementia Care: Supporting Comfort and Resident Preferences
WebEx hosted by the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care and Quality Assurance Performance Improvement Tuesday, September 10 12:30 to 2 pm CT Consumer and advocacy groups; nursing home providers; surveyor community; prescribers; professional associations; and...
Deaths Caused by Heart-Related Conditions Rising in the United States
Medical News Today recently reported that the total deaths in the United States for cardiometabolic disease, which includes heart disease, stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure, have been rising since 2011, according to a study published in JAMA. Researchers said...
Sepsis Coordinator Network: Best Practices, Resources and Guidance
The Sepsis Coordinator Network (SCN) is a community created by Sepsis Alliance to provide sepsis best practice resources and guidance to sepsis coordinators and all health professionals across the country. The SCN is led by a team of expert leaders in the field of...
CMS Public Meeting Announcement and Invitation: SUPPORT Act
Register to join CMS for a public meeting on the development of an Action Plan to Prevent Opioid Addiction and Enhance Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment (SUPPORT Act). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is responding to the opioid epidemic by...
Strong Barrier to Infection Protects Against Sepsis Trigger
A neighborhood tends to be on high alert when the sirens and lights of an ambulance cross into their boundaries. A medical emergency becomes personal and first responders are recognized for their ability to quickly assess and react to any number of scenarios from car...
First Statewide Survey for Nebraska Community Health Workers
The Center for Reducing Health Disparities (CRHD) in the College of Public Health (COPH) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) is conducting the first statewide assessment of the Community Health Worker (CHW) workforce in Nebraska. This assessment will...
REMINDER: Strategies for Addressing Vaccine Misinformation in the Practice
All healthcare professionals are invited to join.... Wednesday, August 28, 2019 12:00 - 1:00 pm CT Hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) With the recent outbreaks of measles across the United States, ensuring individuals have access to...
Query of Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Measure
Learn More about Reporting Requirements for Query of PDMP Bonus Measure for 2019 Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program In 2019, the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) finalized a new measure...
Taking Care of My Pain Management Resource Now Available
Healthcare professionals strive every day to provide patients with the most effective, safe and beneficial care possible. The healthcare industry works hard to create the best care delivery within each practice setting and area of responsibility. However, it is when...
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
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...
EMS Sepsis Screen Tool Increases Early Treatment
On August 9, Health Leaders reported that conducting sepsis screening during Emergency Medical Service (EMS) transport to an emergency department reduces time to treatment and nearly doubles adherence to the standard-of-care treatment bundle, according to a study...
REMINDER: Pain Management and Opioid Oversight WebEx
REMINDER: Pain Management and Opioid Oversight WebEx Pain management and opioid oversight: Ensuring quality, safety and compliance The Nebraska Coalition for Patient Safety is hosting a WebEx on the timely topic of antibiotic stewardship and pain management; focusing...
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...
Nebraska Hospital Association HIIN Receives AHA Performance Improvement Award
The Nebraska Hospital Association HIIN recently received the American Hospital Association Performance Improvement Award based on the exemplary improvement achieved on the American Hospital Association/Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET) Hospital...
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
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?
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
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: 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
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...
CMS Advances MyHealthEData with New Pilot to Support Clinicians
Pilot program gives clinicians direct access to claims data, putting patients over paperwork and at the center of their care. Earlier today, at the White House Blue Button Developers Conference (BBDC), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced...
Opioid Guardianship: A Blueprint for Change
Data-Driven Opioid Guardianship: A Health Care System's Blueprint for Change Drug overdose is the leading cause of death in the United States and opioid addiction is driving this epidemic. In 2016, over 214 million prescriptions were written for opioids. On average,...
Pain Management and Opioid Oversight WebEx
Pain management and opioid oversight: Ensuring quality, safety and compliance The Nebraska Coalition for Patient Safety is hosting a WebEx on the timely topic of antibiotic stewardship and pain management; focusing on implementation, policies and prescribing...
Team Member Reflections: Contributors to Success
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...
August is National Immunization Awareness Month
Healthcare professionals play a key role in educating parents and patients about the importance of vaccination. August is right around the corner. This August, National Immunization Awareness Month raises awareness and encourages everyone to make sure they are current...
Team Member Reflections: The Impact
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...
Care Management: A Good Habit for Patient and Provider
Good habits are hard to form and bad habits are hard to break. Even with a strong motive, basic lifestyle changes are a challenge for most people. Individuals newly diagnosed with diabetes face the added layer of monitoring blood sugar levels and/or managing...