Inside the Summer 2009 Issue
Download a PDF of the entire issue, or scroll down to access each individual article in the issue. The Business of Caring is a free, electronic-only newsletter copublished by AONE and HFMA. Anyone can access the online newsletter.
Feature
ED Crowding: What Works?
Nurse leaders are identifying ways to reduce bottlenecks in the ED, while bolstering the case that the ultimate solution for ED overcrowding lies outside the ED itself. Learn about approaches being explored by the Emergency Nurses Association, HCA, and the University of Kansas Hospital. Read the article.
Ask a Nurse Leader
Improving Staff Morale in Tough Times
by Kathleen D. Sanford, RN, MA, DBA, FACHE
You don’t necessarily have to spend money to keep spirits up, says Sanford. She provides five budget neutral ways to improve camaraderie and teamwork among employees. Read the article.
How We Did It
How Hospitals Are Improving Their Value
The Leapfrog Group has identified 13 hospitals that deliver the highest value, based on a blend of quality and efficiency measures. Nurse leaders from four of these hospitals share the strategies that helped their hospitals earn high marks for value.
Case Study 1: Wiping Out Infections at St. Mary’s Hospital
Case Study 2: Decreasing Door-to-Dilation Time at St. Luke’s Hospital
Case Study 3: Reducing Length of Stay at Fairview Southdale Hospital
Case Study 4: Improving Post-Op Efficiencies at St. Clare’s Hospital
Sidebar: Leapfrog Credentials
Did You See This?
Two Unique Ways to Encourage Handwashing
In the recent months, two unusual approaches to encouraging proper hand hygiene have been trialed—with promising success. Learn more.
Operational Strategies
Making Hourly Rounding Stick: St. Lucie’s Third Try Is the Charm
It has taken more than three years, two failures, and an epiphany about how to make change stick. But nurse leaders at St. Lucie Medical Center are enthusiastically calling hourly rounding a success seven months after piloting the much-talked about patient safety strategy for the third time on St. Lucie's medical-surgical unit. Read the article.
Business School for Nurses
Reducing Hospital Readmissions
President Obama and his healthcare reform team are calling on hospitals to reduce the number of preventable readmissions. Learn why readmissions are getting so much attention—and what nurse leaders can do to reduce their readmission rates. Read the article.
Download a PDF of the entire Summer 2009 issue of The Business of Caring.
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