QIO News Posts
Life’s Simple 7…Small Steps to Big Changes
Stroke can happen to anyone at any time. Stroke is not just an older person’s disease. Risk factors for stroke, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and diabetes are happening at younger ages. Unfortunately, risk factors may not be recognized...
Quality Improvement Toolbox: Tools You Can Use
Performance improvement is best accomplished by using tried and true techniques. These include the 5 Whys, PDSA cycles, Cause and Effect diagrams, eliminating waste, and more. Looking for a template or a short refresher for your skills? The National Nursing Home...
Consumer Education: A Key Strategy to Prevention and Early Detection of Sepsis
More than a million people in the United States develop sepsis each year and more than 250,000 deaths are linked to it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearly 80 percent of sepsis cases are community-acquired, meaning people...
Q&A: Improving Resident Health in Long-Term Care Facilities
Great Plains QIN and other Quality Innovation Network–Quality Improvement Organizations are working in partnership with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reduce the use of antipsychotics in long-term care facilities and improve health outcomes...
Awáŋič’iglaka (To Take Care of One’s Own Health): Using Traditional Alternatives for Pain Management
A growing body of evidence suggests that complementary approaches help to manage some painful conditions. The Standing Rock Opioid Steering Committee hosted a pain summit in North Dakota in April designed to share positive information and alternative traditional...
High Blood Pressure Stakes: One of Three Americans
Personal and professional demands can change dramatically and impact levels of stress throughout the day, month and year. As a result, blood pressure can become a moving target creating a challenge for proper diagnosis of hypertension. According to the...
Get Back to Basics to Prevent Infections and Sepsis
Orlaith Staunton, co-founder of the Rory Staunton Foundation for Sepsis Prevention, and her daughter looked at each other in disbelief. They felt they were watching history repeat itself as a basketball coach bandaged a cut for one of his players, but without taking...
With Gratitude and Appreciation….We Celebrate You!
May 6 - 12: National Nurses Week & National Hospital Week A time to celebrate and express our appreciation and admiration for all the nurses in our region as well as all members of our hospital teams National Nurses Week falls on the same days each year, ending on...
QIN-QIO Efforts Result in $400M Savings From Hospital Readmission Avoidance
The national Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) Program has saved an estimated $400 million in Medicare spending by avoiding hospital readmissions and improving quality of care throughout all healthcare settings. Great Plains Quality...
Working the Mind and Body at Work
The many demand s from deadlines, to-do lists and meetings of all kinds leave no time for an idle mind during an average workday. The American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) third annual National Get Fit Don’t Sit Day held on Wednesday, May 2, encourages people to use...