From the ANA Smartbrief

Wow...Some interesting articles

CMS issues Medicaid nonpayment rule for "never events"
The CMS announced Wednesday that it will stop paying hospitals and health care providers under the Medicaid program for reasonably preventable health care-acquired illnesses or injuries, such as those caused by an air embolism for blood incompatibility. States have until July 2012 to comply with the rule. "These steps will encourage health professionals and hospitals to reduce preventable infections and eliminate serious medical errors," CMS Administrator Dr. Donald Berwick said. "As we reduce the frequency of these conditions, we will improve care for patients and bring down costs at the same time." Kaiser Health News (6/1), Nurse.com (6/1)

Can you say wound prevention and fall protection, not to mention medication errors?...Again
This could be a big WOW for the future...
Standards for Nursing Homes should also be a primary factor for this decision. Like higher levels of qualified staff and improved levels of care.
Majority of these incidents occur in Nursing homes.

Hospital patients' phones more likely to carry bad bacteria than staff's
About 40% of mobile phones belonging to patients and their visitors contained pathogens compared with 21% of phones owned by medical staff, according to a Turkish study in the American Journal of Infection Control. The study of 200 phones also found that several phones that belonged to patients tested positive for drug-resistant pathogens, but none belonging to staffers did. HealthDay News (6/1)

Very interesting. What happens to these phones?

HHS review of rules could benefit hospitals, others
HHS will review its regulations as part of a broader effort to streamline federal rules. Among the expected changes that could affect hospitals, as well as other providers, are credential rules that ease the use of telemedicine and fewer requirements for participation with the CMS. Nurse.com (5/26)

Technology is the future and we need to be prepared for the changes that it will bring to the increased needs and decreased nursing staff of the future...