Supporting Safer Healthcare

St. John’s Hospital in Joplin was destroyed by a tornado in May 2011.  The damage was so severe that the remaining structure is about to be demolished. There is good news for Joplin and St. John’s however, ground will be broken at the end of this month on a new hospital. Best wishes Joplin, for a speedy recovery. [...]

NBC’s Today Show looks back at the past year. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Whether living in interesting times is a blessing or curse, the health care market in Western Pennsylvania is certainly stirring up interest these days.  The Pittsburgh area boasts two large, well-established health systems, one considerably larger and more financially stable than the other.  In the interest of full disclosure, I work for the smaller of the two systems.   As [...]

This week’s edition of Grand Rounds – The Myth Busters edition, is up at GetBetterHealth.com. http://getbetterhealth.com/grand-rounds-vol-8-no-7-myth-buster-edition/2011.11.08  

When you have overnight guests in your home, chances are you do all you can to make their stay as comfortable as possible.  In a sense, patients are guests in our “house,” but often they find their overnight accommodations anything but comfortable and restful. Hospitalized patients often complain “How am I supposed to sleep when…” My [...]

David Williams of Health Business Blog is our host for this week’s edition of Grand Rounds, the weekly compiliation of the best of medical blogosphere.  This week we’re learning about meaningful use and accountable care – two of the hottest topics in healthcare.  David included a post from Supporting Safer Healthcare and tagged it “the stone age [...]

Fierce Health IT recently published 11 Faces to Follow in Healthcare Social Media.  Most healthcare organizations now use social media as part of their marketing strategy; some more effectively than others.  Many, if not all of the individuals on the Fierce Health IT list were early social media adapters.  I know that because I have connections through this [...]

She faced the worst of all enemies; the impending death of someone dearly loved.  She knew that her son would soon leave behind not only loving parents, but a lovely wife and young child.  There was precious little time left. The enemy proved victorious, although with faith she looks to a time when even those chains [...]

“On that day in late May, a black-and-green monster swooped in, its shoulders nearly a mile wide, its savagery unimaginable. One of America’s worst tornadoes in half a century took dead aim at St. John’s Regional Medical Center, barreling through halls and ripping open ceilings. Concrete crumbled. Pipes burst. Windows exploded. The building groaned in agony…” [...]

The frail, elderly patient was so pale as to be nearly invisible against the crisp white sheets.  Any ability to give voice to his thoughts had been taken away by the ventilator tubes in his throat.  The soft restraints on his wrists prevented him from dislodging those tubes, either in confusion or by design.  Other tubes silently pumped fluids in or drained them out.  During [...]