Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/937560
33 QUALITY & ACCREDITATION 25 States With the Lowest ASC-Hospital Transfer and Readmission Rates By Eric Oliver H ere are the 25 U.S. states with the lowest ASC-to-hospital transfer/ad- mission rates for 2016, ranked from highest to lowest, according to rankings listed on CMS' Hospital Compare website. 1. Hawaii: 0 2. Vermont: 0 3. Utah: 0.07 4. West Virginia: 0.122 5. South Dakota: 0.134 6. New Hampshire: 0.141 7. North Dakota: 0.157 8. Nebraska: 0.162 9. Arkansas: 0.191 10. Oklahoma: 0.202 11. Missouri: 0.213 12. Rhode Island: 0.214 13. Maine: 0.219 14. New Mexico: 0.228 15. Alaska: 0.236 16. Texas: 0.248 17. Kentucky: 0.258 18. Arizona: 0.263 19. Tennessee: 0.265 20. New York: 0.269 21. Nevada: 0.273 22. Louisiana: 0.298 23. Mississippi: 0.308 24. California: 0.315 25. Florida: 0.315 n Patient Sues Physician for Talking on the Phone During Outpatient Procedure: 4 Things to Know By Laura Dyrda A 70-year-old woman filed a lawsuit against Eric Fishman, MD, and Yonkers, N.Y-based Westmed Medical Group, claiming Dr. Fisher talked on his cell phone while performing an outpatient varicose vein procedure. Here are four things to know: 1. The patient is seeking monetary damages with the suit, claiming emotional distress due to the surgeon's conversa- tion during her procedure, which was a success. 2. Dr. Fishman told the patient he was taking a Spanish lan- guage proficiency examination over the phone during her procedure. According to the lawsuit, the American College of Surgeons recommends cell phone use in the operating room should not disrupt patient care. 3. In a separate vein procedure performed earlier this year, the patient also complained that Dr. Fishman spoke with a colleague about another patient in front of her. The lawsuit calls Dr. Fishman's behavior in both cases "inap- propriate." 4. Westmed does not comment on pending litigation, ac- cording to ABC News. n The Joint Commission Updates Hand Hygiene Standard for All Organizations — 4 Insights By Eric Oliver The Joint Commission updated its hand hygiene standard for all accreditation programs. Here's what you should know: 1. Effective Jan. 1, the new policy penalizes any individual involved with direct patient care that fails to perform hand hygiene, citing the offense as a deficiency resulting in a Requirement for Improvement. 2. The RFI is under Infection Prevention and Control Stan- dard IC.02.01.01, EP 2. 3. Surveyors will continue to survey an organization's hand hygiene program on the National Patient Safety Goal NPSG.07.01.01. 4. The Joint Commission changed the standard because it felt organizations have had enough time to train per- sonnel on hand hygiene. In its update, The Joint Commission said, "While there are various causes for healthcare-associated infections, The Joint Commission has determined that failure to per- form hand hygiene associated with direct care of patient should no longer be one of them." n