All Entries in the "technology" Category
Make the most out of OPPE and FPPE
While at the 35th annual NAMSS conference a few weeks ago, I sat in on a discussion about OPPE and FPPE; specifically about how to get the most beneficial usage from these two tools with limited resources. The session presented by Jonathan Burroughs, MD, MBA, FACPE, and Mary Baker, DHA, CPMSM, served as a reminder that OPPE and FPPPE were established to help organizations, not hinder their credentialing and privileging processes. When times are tough and resources are limited, we have a tendency to get bogged down by all of the things we have to do and forget the significance of why we are doing them. Burroughs and Baker shed light on the importance of OPPE and FPPE while also offering some useful tips on how to make these processes more efficient.
In discussing OPPE, Burroughs recommended choosing indicators that measure important aspects of each performance dimension. These indicators can and should change. As new indicators are added into the mix, retire the ones that are not as useful. Burroughs suggested asking each department for one or two things they would like to see improved in the indicator selection process, then trying out those recommendations for a year or two before deciding whether to add them as a requirement for reappointment.
As for FPPE, Baker suggested that FPPE should not be a one size fit all process. Practitioners who bring similar experience and/or practice patterns can be treated in a similar way. The Joint Commission allows for flexibility in FPPE, which should be taken advantage of. “You have the ability to stop, shorten, or prolong FPPE,” said Baker during her talk. For example, if a practitioner’s competence can be evaluated in three or four shifts (an ED physician for example) there is no need to perform FPPE for three to six months. Because concurrent proctoring is time consuming, Baker recommended only using it when necessary. Another way to capitalize on FPPE is to take advantage of technology. Teleproctoring, simulation, and procedure recording are all becoming more popular as acceptable forms of measuring competency. Technology is being utilized for efficiency and patient safety all over the rest of the hospital, so why not in the medical staff office as well?
We’d love to hear from you: Do you use technology to make OPPE/FPPE easier? If so, email me at kkondilis@hcpro.com.
Free Core Privileges Software Demo, November 2
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New technology news: FDA reopens whistleblower investigation on medical devices
A group of scientists at the FDA claiming their managers pressured them to approve some medical devices despite their concerns are having their complaints reexamined, according to a September 30, Wall Street Journal article.
Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Human Services dismissed the allegations of criminal charges against the managers. Now the matter is being reinvestigated as potential administration violations by the managers.
Click here to read more or to forward on to your new technology review committee.
IT security tips for your medical staff
This month’s LocumLife magazine features the article, “Cyber security for locum tenens providers.” It provides great advice for locum tenens and anyone else who relies on modern technology to do their jobs.
Here are some useful tips that your medical staff can benefit from, too:
- Choose strong passwords
- Log-on to secure wireless systems
- Periodically review a computer’s privacy settings
- Keep most of your files on a stationary machine, rather than a mobile device that may get lost in transit
Technology news: CT scan risks outlined in NEJM article
It may be time for your technology assessment committee to revisit the risks and benefits of CT scans. These popular scans were the focus of a recent New England Journal of Medicine article that warned of long-term cancer risks and potential radiation overdoses, according to a June 23 Los Angeles Times article.
Some say practitioners use the scans too often because they are pressured by patients to order them, or because fear of malpractice lawsuits leads to over testing.
However, one of the biggest risks to patients is that the radiation dose in CT equipment can vary widely from hospital to hospital.
Does your technology assessment committee evaluate existing technologies or only proposed technology changes? Share your experiences in the comment boxes below.
Telemedicine tips on the web
Looking for more information about CMS’s new telemedicine credentialing guidelines? Need to educate a credentials committee about telemedicine?
Check out the Center for Telehealth and E-Health Law website: www.telehealthlawcenter.org
If you know of other helpful telemedicine resources to share with your peers, feel free to list them in the comment boxes below.
New simulation training for robotic-assisted surgeons
Source: www.buffalo.edu
Most surgeons who perform robotic-assisted surgeries using the da Vinci™ robotic surgical system, or a similar product, learn by shadowing colleagues. Now, the new Robotic Surgical Simulator, or RoSS, allows surgeons to learn through simulation, according to a February 25, SUNY Buffalo press release.
Researchers are calling RoSS a flight simulator for surgeons because it follows a similar method that pilots use. The need for a training simulator was clear in the minds of its creators.
“Hospitals don’t invest in these multi-million-dollar robotic surgery systems so that people can train on them,” says John Burgess, Simulated Surgical Systems, LLC, chief executive officer. “Their most pressing need has been a good training environment for robotic surgery.”
RoSS was created through collaborations between the Center for Robotic Surgery at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and the University at Buffalo’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. At right is a photo of creators Thenkurussi Kesavadas from the University at Buffalo and Khurshid Guru of RPCI.
Audio clip: Durable medical devices and their hidden costs
![hi_NCI9[1]](http://blogs.hcpro.com/credentialing/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/hi_NCI91.jpg "hi_NCI9[1]")
If you’re searching for information to keep your medical device review committees on top of the latest industry news, check out this audio clip from Health Leaders Media.
John Bardis, CEO of MedAssets, a healthcare supply chain and revenue cycle management company, discusses his crusade against the lack of transparency in durable medical devices. This type of financial information is important to keep in mind if your medical staff is considering purchasing new equipment or expanding clinical privileges to include new devices.
CP+ breakfast demo at NAMSS conference
We are pleased to extend you a personal invitation for a free demonstration of our exciting privileging software, CP+
Free Live Demonstration
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
7:00 to 8:30 a.m. PST
NAMSS Annual Conference in Reno, NV
Grand Sierra Resort and Casino
Nevada 6 and 7 rooms
Robotic surgeries need more uniform regulations, researchers say
Robotic surgeries, specifically those done with the da Vinci Surgical System are growing in popularity and may be outpacing uniform professional regulations. An article in the September issue of the Journal of Urology takes aim at the lack of uniformity among hospitals which credential and privilege practitioners to use this equipment, according to a Reuters review of the research.
“Currently, there is no credentialing system to evaluate a surgeon’s competency and surgeons cannot practice on simulators before taking on live patients,” summarizes Reuters.
Kevin Zorn, MD, chief of urology at Weiss Memorial Hospital at the University of Chicago and lead author of the journal article, told Reuters that hospitals have different guidelines for privileging da Vinci Surgical System users, and some have none.
Note: HCPro’s Clinical Privileging White Paper on robotic-assisted surgery will be published along with the November issue of Briefings on Credentialing. It will be archived on www.CredentialingResourceCenter.com beginning in mid-October. The white papers provide a guide to hospitals developing their own credentialing and privileging criteria.
