Monthly news & updates for Direct Difference, Inc abstractors April 2019

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Happy Birthday!  Jenise Oertel - April 1 Marcell Robertson - April 4 Carole Salamah - April 9 Kelly Morrin-Garret - April 15 Ellen Kuhnert - April 18 Tracy Summerfield - April 20 Amanda Lindsey - April 21 Dianna McKeever - April 27

Know Someone That Could Use Our Services? Earn a Referral Bonus! You can get $100 referral bonus for referring someone to Direct Difference. You can get another $500 if they sign a contract with us. WOW! Did you know we provide abstraction services for core measures, non-core measures, registry, OPPE-FPPE, NHSN, peer review, pharmaceutical studies and others? If you know a facility that has ANY data abstraction needs please contact us for more information. All you have to do is respond to this email to get started!

Health IT Update

The Impact of healthcare data breaches in February - 1 ASC affected More than one data breach occurred each day in February, according to HIPAA Journal. The key details to know: Over 2.11 million records were compromised in February, which was a 330 percent increase from January. Columbia Surgical Specialists of Spokane (Wash.) was the second largest data breach in February, with over 400,000 patients affected. The states were affected include California, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Texas, Maryland, Minnesota, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Virginia, North Carolina, Montana, Mississippi, Massachusetts, Kansas, Georgia, Delaware, Connecticut, Colorado and Arizona.

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NAHQ - Your Professional Advocate It's no secret that the healthcare industry continues to evolve on the path to value. Change is coming from all directions and it is challenging healthcare professionals across the continuum of care to adapt in their roles. This transformative... Read more nahq.org ‌ ‌ ‌

Cardiovascular diseases affect nearly half of American... Nearly half of all U.S. adults have some type of cardiovascular disease, a percentage that reflects recently updated guidelines for treating high blood pressure, according to a new report. High blood pressure - also known as hypertension - can... Read more www.heart.org

New Inpatient and Outpatient Measures for TJC Primary Stroke Center certification: CSTK-01 – Comprehensive Stroke National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS Score Performed for Ischemic Stroke Patients) STK-OP-1 – Door to Transfer to Another Hospital (Median Time) 1a – Overall Rate (Not Reported) 1b – Hemorrhagic Stroke 1c – Ischemic Stroke IV Alteplase Prior to Transfer (Drip and Ship) 1d – Ischemic Stroke No IV Alteplase Prior to Transfer, LVO and MER eligible 1e – Ischemic Stroke No IV Alteplase Prior to Transfer, LVO and not MER eligible 1f – Ischemic Stroke No IV Alteplase Prior to Transfer, No LVO 

IBM Watson Health Names Top 100 Hospitals |... IBM Watson Health this week published its annual list of what its research shows are the nation's 100 Top Hospitals. The study, which has been conducted annually since 1993, is based on a balanced scorecard that uses publicly available data for... Read more www.healthleadersmedia.com American Heart Association GWTG Education Opportunities Stroke Workshops and Webinars here. Heart Failure Workshops and Webinars here. Resuscitation Workshops and Webinars here. AFIB Workshops and Webinars here .

A big thank you to these valuable team members for their commitment to make Direct Difference, Inc the leader in healthcare abstraction services!

Deborah Cuyler Kellie Garret-Morin Carole Salamah

13 Things Mentally Strong People Won't Do We all reach critical points in our lives where our mental strength is tested. It might be a toxic friend or colleague, a dead-end job, or a struggling relationship. Read more www.linkedin.com

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Excellence   Expertise   Experience That’s how we make a Direct Difference!

Mandy Budny, RN, MSN, CPHQ | Direct Difference, Inc | 520-442-0016 [email protected]

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