The Direct Dispatch
A Newsletter For Healthcare Providers

November 2018
Greetings!

Read below for this month's exciting news from Direct Difference, Inc!
The Importance Of A Team-Based Approach For Improvement At Hospitals
Hospital leaders face great pressure to achieve value-based care while doing more with less, and a team-based approach is more likely to achieve sustainable performance improvement. Three essential components are needed for team-driven performance improvement initiatives to succeed: engagement across levels, support of leadership, and the right team.

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Hospital Sought For Surgical Care QI Project
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is seeking hospitals to participate in a quality improvement program related to gynecology, colorectal, hip fracture and joint replacement surgeries. The program is led by the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality and the American College of Surgeons.

Quality Reporting Center Upcoming Events
Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program November 15, 2018 data submission deadline for the following:
  • Second Quarter (2Q) 2018 Chart-Abstracted Clinical measures
  • 2Q 2018 Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI) measures
  • 2Q 2018 Perinatal Care (PC-01) measure
By November 15, 2018, 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time, IQR-eligible hospitals are required to:

The webinar, titled  Specifications Manual for National Hospital Inpatient Quality Measures v5.5a Update , will be presented on Thursday, November 15, 2018, at 2 p.m. Eastern Time.

This presentation will provide information regarding v5.5a of the  Specifications Manual for National Hospital Inpatient Quality Measures , including measures collected by CMS and/or The Joint Commission, population and sampling, measure-specific data element updates, and general abstraction and data element guidelines.

The webinar slides will be available for download from  www.QualityReportingCenter.com  under Upcoming Events the day before the presentation.

You may register for the webinar at the following link:  https://cc.readytalk.com/r/4376gnnurup4&eom
How Else Can Direct Difference Inc Help You?
Measuring quality is necessary for improving healthcare. We understand that when providers are overly consumed with measuring and reporting quality metrics, it is difficult to actually apply results and focus on actions that lead to real improvements.

Why not smart source all of your data abstraction needs so that it is done better, faster, more consistently, and at lower cost with less risk?

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 have any data abstraction needs please contact us for more information. All you have to do is respond to this email to get started.

You can also visit our website for more information!
NCDR Enhanced Dashboard Changes
NCDR is pleased to announce the enhanced CathPCI and ICD Registry Hospital Dashboards are now available! The newly designed dashboards offers the same comprehensive reporting with new features that allow you to more easily review and understand your data and customize your facility’s metric landing page. Log in to your site to check out the enhanced dashboards.
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Gone Phishing
Phishing emails are one of the most common and serious cyber threats to an organization. The FBI reported that, in 2017, organizations lost about $675 million from phishing attacks. Ransomware, wire fraud and account credential compromise are just a few of the dangers of a phishing attack.

This month's training bulletin  focuses on the importance of spotting phishing emails. Educating your employees on how to spot a phishing email and how to report it is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of a costly data breach.

Please visit  BreachProtection.com  for free information on how to strengthen your cybersecurity program with sample policies and procedures and free interactive training modules on essential data security principles for your organization's employees.
Survey Finds Decline In Hospital-Acquired Infections
Researchers found a 16% decline in the risk of hospital-acquired infections between 2011 and 2015, with the largest decreases seen among urinary tract and surgical site infections, based on a survey of 199 hospitals across the US. The findings were published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

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