QIO News Posts
Injection Safety: Making Care Safer for Your Staff and Patients
A no-cost course Injection Safety Course (with continuing education credits available) can be found on the new, updated Nebraska One and Only Campaign web page. You and your staff can use this course to become a Safe Injection Champion and make your workplace safer...
Beyond BINGO: Nursing Facility Activities Increasing Quality of Life
The recent National Activity Professionals Week (January 20-26, 2019) provided an opportunity to showcase the impact fun and socialization can have on quality of life for residents of a nursing facility or assisted living center. Great Plains Quality Innovation...
February is National Heart Month – Know the Signs and Symptoms
Did you know that nearly 1 in 3 adults in the United States has high blood cholesterol, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke?1 High blood cholesterol can be hard to detect, as it often shows no signs or symptoms. February is a good time to remind...
Mastering the Process is at the Heart of Quality Improvement
Change is a process. Those who manage change that leads to quality improvement have mastered the steps and embraced the tools to identify and address obstacles and challenges effectively. Healthcare is one of many industries requiring continual quality improvement...
Nine Quality Measures, Two Physician Champions, One Successful Team at Madison Regional Health System
Amber Oines, RN, BSN, the quality nurse specialist for Madison Regional Health System in Madison, SD, engaged Great Plains Quality Innovation Network (QIN) to support their healthcare quality team through the transition to the Quality Payment Program (QPP)....
Heart Month: Igniting a Wave of Red Coast to Coast
Traditionally the month for lovers and all things heart-related, February also reminds us to take care of our heart. It is American Heart Month. The annual celebration began in 1963 to encourage Americans to join the battle against heart disease. A presidential...
SIM-ND Provides Sepsis Education to Emergency Personnel
Simulation in Motion-ND (SIM-ND) provided sepsis training at the Northwest Regional EMS Conference on January 18, 2019. SIM-ND is a unique, statewide, mobile education system with four large trucks outfitted with high fidelity human patient simulators, or computerized...
Studies Demonstrate Role of Pharmacists in Reducing Hospital Readmissions
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...
More than 40 Million Americans Live in Poverty
January is Poverty Awareness Month According to the U.S. Census, nearly 40 million Americans live in poverty, leaving little or nothing for extra or unexpected medical expenses. The CMS Office of Minority Health has created public education initiatives, such as From...
How Hospitalists Can Improve Shift-to-Shift Patient Handoffs
Approximately 80 percent of serious medical errors involve miscommunication during the transfer of care from one healthcare provider to another, according to the Joint Commission.[1] A recent article in Medscape articulates how hospitalist physicians can improve...