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• The Best and Worst of Times For “Infection Preventionists”

  As I mentioned in my last post, these should be the best of times for "Infection Preventionists" (formerly known as Infection Control Officers). After years of trying to get someone – anyone – to pay attention to their work, their day in the sun has finally Read More... Posted Mon, Jun 23 2008 5:51 AM by Bob Wachter | 1 Comments Filed under: Quality Improvement, Hospital Care, Quality Measurement, Hospitalists/Hospital Medicine, Information Technology, Patient Safety/Medical Errors, Health Policy

• Could Intensivists Be Harmful to ICU Patients’ Health?

  Of all the structural (how care is organized) “evidence-based markers of high quality care,” perhaps the most ironclad has been the involvement of critical care physicians in the care of ICU patients. That is, until now. In a sophisticated study in today’s Read More... Posted Wed, Jun 04 2008 7:34 AM by Bob Wachter | 7 Comments Filed under: Quality Improvement, Hospital Care, Quality Measurement, Hospitalists/Hospital Medicine, Patient Safety/Medical Errors, Health Policy

• Notes from the Society of Hospital Medicine's Annual Meeting

  A few random observations from the Society of Hospital Medicine’s annual meeting in San Diego: There are about 1600 people here, most of whom I don’t know. How did this happen? People still seem pretty jazzed about their jobs and lives. The meeting has Read More... Posted Sat, Apr 05 2008 7:39 AM by Bob Wachter | 0 Comments Filed under: Quality Improvement, Hospital Care, Efficiency, Hospitalists/Hospital Medicine, Patient Safety/Medical Errors, Health Policy

• Average Time of Discharge: Why a Hospital is Not a Hilton

  Do you get as annoyed as I do about being pressured on your “Time of Discharge?” I just received my monthly report, and we’re in The Doghouse again: our average TOD – 3:28 pm – is hours after “check-out time.” But when did we turn into the Holiday Inn? Read More... Posted Wed, Mar 26 2008 7:05 AM by Bob Wachter | 14 Comments Filed under: Quality Improvement, Hospital Care, Transparency and Reporting, Quality Measurement, Efficiency, Hospitalists/Hospital Medicine

• Is Medicare’s “No Pay for Errors” Plan a Good Idea?

  In this month’s issue of the Joint Commission Journal of Quality and Patient Safety, I (with UCSF’s Adams Dudley and the American Hospital Association's Nancy Foster) tackle this provocative question. The answer may surprise you: yes (probably). The devil Read More... Posted Mon, Feb 11 2008 7:34 AM by Bob Wachter | 2 Comments Filed under: Quality Improvement, Hospital Care, Pay-for-performance, Quality Measurement, Medical Education/Academia, Hospitalists/Hospital Medicine, Patient Safety/Medical Errors, Nurses/Nursing, Media/Press Coverage

• A Nordstrom To-Do List: Tie, Slacks, a Little V. Tach?

  Great quote by USC cardiologist Leslie Saxon (a reporter reached her on her cell phone as Leslie was shopping) on this week’s NEJM study on delayed defibrillation: “You’re better off having your arrest [here] at Nordstrom [than in a hospital]… because Read More... Posted Mon, Jan 07 2008 4:09 AM by Bob Wachter | 0 Comments Filed under: Quality Improvement, Hospital Care, Medical Education/Academia, Hospitalists/Hospital Medicine, Information Technology, Patient Safety/Medical Errors, Industry/Pharma, Nurses/Nursing, Media/Press Coverage

• Rapid Response Teams: Ready for Prime Time?

  Last year, I (with Peter Pronovost) wrote the toughest paper of my life – one that critiqued the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 100,000 Lives Campaign. This is the healthcare equivalent of criticizing both Mother Teresa and your local food bank Read More... Posted Tue, Nov 27 2007 9:31 AM by Bob Wachter | 4 Comments Filed under: Quality Improvement, Hospital Care, Quality Measurement, Hospitalists/Hospital Medicine, Patient Safety/Medical Errors, Nurses/Nursing, Health Policy