For and about members of the Office of Johns Hopkins Physicians

Categories+

Quality and Safety of Care

Category: Quality and Safety of Care

New Requirement for Blood Type Testing Promotes Transfusion Safety

Under the changed rule, about 5% of patients will require a second blood draw to ensure transfusion compatibility.

Johns Hopkins Medicine Care Transformation Summit Set for Sept. 13

The event will bring together experts who will collaborate to improve quality and affordability of care for patients with chronic conditions.

Hopkins Access Line: For Hospital Transfers, Call HAL

The Hopkins Access Line (HAL) organizes admissions throughout the Johns Hopkins health system, including transfers between Johns Hopkins hospitals.

Clinical Excellence Track Will Provide a New Path to Promotion

Johns Hopkins Medicine is adding a clinical track that will provide a new promotion path to faculty members who have a primary focus on providing excellent care to patients.

Nominations Now Open for 2019 Clinical Awards

The awards recognize clinicians who deliver safe, innovative and respectful care to patients.

Telemedicine Connects Young Patients with Psychiatric Care

Psychiatrists with the Johns Hopkins Child Mobile Treatment Program can now use iPads to see and assess patients.

Story Booth Invites People to Tell Their Health Care Experiences

A recording booth in the Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center is collecting patient and caregiver stories to create a searchable trove of audio files for patients and researchers.

Stroke Center Collaboration Makes Hopkins Easier

Tracking stroke patient data for a national registry is now more efficient and accurate.

Kimberlee Sherbrooke Joins American Medical Group Association Board

Kimberlee Sherbrooke has been tapped to serve on the board of the American Medical Group Association.

Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Gives Johns Hopkins Telemedicine a Boost

Agreement makes it easier for Maryland doctors to practice in other states.

Make Your Voice Count by Claiming Your Doximity Profile

Physicians who are board certified in a specialty designated by U.S. News & World Report must claim their Doximity profiles by Nov. 15 in order to be eligible to complete the publication’s 2019 reputation survey.

Clinical Information Gets a Makeover

Johns Hopkins clinicians now have Tableau, a new data analytics tool that makes it easy to compile and compare inpatient and ambulatory metrics.

Interventions Reduce Unnecessary Readmissions

Across Johns Hopkins Medicine, intensified patient education and better care coordination are improving patients’ health while driving down readmissions.

Nursing Quality Clinical Community Formed to Focus on Improving Safety and Value

The first clinical community at Johns Hopkins to be led by nurses, the Nursing Quality Clinical Community is working to prevent patient falls.

OpenNotes to Be Turned On for Most Ambulatory Specialties

OpenNotes, which offers patients access to documentation from a clinical encounter, is already in wide use. As of March 1, it will be the default setting in the electronic medical record for most ambulatory specialties.

Optimizing the Patient Experience

What unifies the diverse patients we serve? An expectation of high-quality, responsive care. Here’s a look at what some of our member hospitals are doing to deliver on that expectation.

New Protocols Protect Patients from Surgical Complications

Implementation of a care bundle for patients undergoing ovarian cancer surgery reduced surgical site infections from around 20 percent to 3 percent, where they have remained for two years.

High Priorities: Better Patient Care, Enhanced Physician Support

The Office of Johns Hopkins Physicians has nine key ambulatory goals for FY2016.

Third Community Practice Joins Johns Hopkins Regional Physicians

Infectious Disease Associates of Ellicott City is now part of Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Improving Access for Patients with Cochlear Implants

Service Lines Put the Patient First

App Lets Providers Answer Coding Queries from Phone or Desktop

Same-Day Appointments a Big Success at Wilmer Eye Institute

“We’ve seen a 35 percent growth in patient volume,” says Ashley Behrens, chief of the Division of Comprehensive Eye Care. “It’s a win for both patients and Wilmer.”

Teaming Up for Trauma Care at Johns Hopkins

Six nurses who manage trauma and burn center programs work to prevent injuries and improve the care process.

Johns Hopkins Bayview Reaches a Patient Safety Milestone

The adult burn unit at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center marks three years without a central line-associated bloodstream infection.

ERAS Protocols to Go Nationwide to Improve Outcomes While Saving Costs

The project will enable at least 750 hospitals across the country to implement enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols, which reduce complications and lengths of stay while improving the patient experience.

HCAHPS: Going for the 5-Star Care Experience

What do patients value? Research finds that the key to increasing patient satisfaction is focusing on communication and other interpersonal skills.

Clinical Awards Honor Providers Across Johns Hopkins Medicine

Awards in six categories honor physicians and teams who provide exemplary care.

Eliminating Hospital-Acquired Conditions

They are bad for patients and, under the terms of the Maryland Medicare waiver, bad for the bottom line.

Right Patient with the Right Provider at the Best Place and Time

The Access Initiative Seeks to open access while making it easier to get patients to the best doctor for their condition.

Clinical Pathways Lead to Better Surgical Care

Standardization delivers a health care trifecta: increased patient safety, improved staff satisfaction and cost savings.

Reducing Readmissions at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center

Learn how the medical center cut readmissions by nearly 10 percent.

All Children’s Hospital’s New Surgical Extended Care Unit Reduces Length of Stay by 50 Percent

It provides better care for kids. Parents love it. And it saves money.

Clinical Awards Recognize Care That Makes a Difference

Superb physicians across Johns Hopkins Medicine touch patients’ lives every day. New awards honor their dedication.

Doctors Patients Rave About

Consistently stellar CG-CAHPS scores set these clinicians apart.

Nominations Open April 11 for the 2016 Johns Hopkins Medicine Clinical Awards

The awards recognize physicians and care teams for providing superlative patient care.

Suburban Hospital Treats Addiction and Psychiatric Illness Together

The Dual Outpatient Treatment program addresses behavioral health alongside substance abuse.

HCAHPS Scores Measure Patients’ Perspectives on Care

HCAHPS scores reflect what Johns Hopkins Medicine is doing right — and where there is opportunity for improvement.

Reducing Physician Burnout

Half of physicians show evidence of burnout. Although it is pervasive and destructive, simple daily exercises can reduce it.

Improved Patient Care, Robust Research

The Data Trust ensures that data is safe and accessible.

OpenNotes: Bonus or Burden?

More than 8 million U.S. patients can see their clinicians’ notes. But is that a good thing?

Helping Patients Heal Themselves

Specialists from rehabilitation medicine are training colleagues across the institution to help patients make better health decisions.

Spine Clinical Community Provides Better Care, from the Complex to the Routine

Pulling together expertise from across the health system, clinical communities develop best practices that improve patient care.

Driving Down Readmissions for High-Risk Patients with Intensive Care Coordination

Proactive care management at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center is keeping patients at high risk of readmission on the road to recovery — and out of the hospital.

Taking Aim at Diagnostic Error

Some 12 million Americans suffer misdiagnosis every year, and up to one-third of these experience serious permanent harm, says David Newman-Toker, director of the new Center for Diagnostic Excellence.

After an Adverse Event: Peer Support Program Offers Help

Shame, self-doubt and isolation can follow an adverse event or other traumatic occurrence. Suburban Hospital is training providers to serve as peer supporters to colleagues in distress.

5 Call Center Employees Honored on Save a Life Day

Patient access coordinators listen closely to patients and respond to their needs. In some cases, those needs are a matter of life or death, and swift action is required.

Announcing the Winners of the Second Annual Johns Hopkins Medicine Clinical Awards

Forty-two awards in six categories across seven entities recognize providers who consistently deliver the highest-quality patient care. Learn a few of their stories and get links to each winner’s short video.

Early Intervention by Psychiatry Team Improves Outcomes

The idea, says psychiatrist Pat Triplett, is to have the team assess medical unit patients for mental health concerns early on, “before they escalate.”

Dropping the Bump Rate Is a Key Ambulatory Goal for FY2017

When a physician cancels clinic at the last minute, it can compromise patient care and depress satisfaction scores. For those reasons, reducing physician-initiated cancelations is a priority.

Defusing Difficult Situations

Suburban Hospital’s PEARLS program trains providers to communicate empathically and respectfully, whether with a patient or a fellow provider. Now, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center is rolling out its own program too.

Tips for Tackling Physician Burnout

Tait Shanafelt of Mayo Clinic says too many doctors suffer from emotional exhaustion. His advice, based on 17 years of research, may help.

Epic Promotes Evidence-Based Blood Use, Saving $1.8 Million

“Blood transfusion is the most common procedure performed in U.S. hospitals, and one of the top five overused procedures,” says Steve Frank, director of the Blood Management Program.

Nominations Open for the 2017 Johns Hopkins Medicine Clinical Awards for Physicians and Care Teams

The program recognizes excellent clinical care in six categories. Nominations are accepted through Friday, May 12.

Committing to Timely Test Result Review and Communication Standards

A new initiative at Johns Hopkins Medicine aims to ensure that patients receive all laboratory test results, normal or abnormal, within two weeks.

New MyChart Features Help Keep Families Informed

Updates to MyChart patient portal make it easier for patients and families to participate in care.

Event Focuses on the Human Aspects of Medical Care

Speakers and panelists at a free Dec. 14 Symposium on Humanism and Medicine will discuss doctor-patient relationships.

A New Way to Document Social Determinants of Health

A Social Determinants of Health Wheel now in electronic patient charts makes it easy for clinicians to see factors such as social isolation or tobacco use.