Category: Patient Safety & Outcomes

Physicians tread 'minefield' of abortion bans, hospitals silent

In states with total abortion bans, federal law requires physicians to provide an abortion if it stabilizes an emergency condition, but hospitals are leaving physicians to fend for themselves to navigate this “minefield,” according to a Senate Finance …

A historic year for pig organ transplants

2024 marked a big year for the field of xenotransplantation, with surgical teams at several health systems completing historic procedures that could pave the way for broader adoption of animal-to-human organ transplants.  

The unintended harms of hospital drug testing: 4 takeaways

Hospitals’ drug testing policies can have unintended consequences for women who seek care during pregnancy or after child birth, according to an investigative report published Dec. 11.

Ballad's Center for Clinical Transformation drives systemwide improvements across 20 hospitals

Nearly seven years ago, when Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health was formed through the merger of Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System, Amit Vashist, MD, a dual-boarded internist and psychiatrist, found himself contemplating a…

What had the greatest impact on patient safety? 3 leaders weigh in

Patient safety touches every aspect of hospital care, and every hospital can have tens of programs and initiatives that attempt to address each part of it.

AHRQ unveils new hospital safety dashboard

The National Action Alliance for Patient and Workforce Safety launched a new public-facing dashboard that aggregates federal safety data Dec. 5.

A program that improved care metrics for strokes

Dallas-based UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers found that the American Heart Association’s stroke guidelines improve the quality and consistency of care for stroke patients and reduce hospital stays.

The confusion surrounding hysterectomies: 6 notes

When patients undergo hysterectomies, they are often unaware of exactly which organs they have had removed or are unfamiliar with the full range of surgical options available, according to a Dec. 1 story from The New York Times, which is based on inter…

Texas committee won't review pregnancy-related deaths from 2022, 2023

The Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee, which examines all pregnancy-related deaths, will not examine cases from 2022 and 2023, The Washington Post reported Nov. 26. 

New York system to train employees as peace officers

Security officers at Rochester Regional Health now have the opportunity to become peace officers, NPR affiliate WXXI reported Nov. 25.