“No Place Like Home” Conference
In early 2012, Arizona set the ambitious goal of reducing the statewide hospital readmission rate by 20% and averting 4,000 avoidable hospital readmissions. Curious to find out what we accomplished by working together? Interested in learning about extraordinary best practices from all provider settings that may take your organization from ordinary to extraordinary? Would you like to compare your organization's [...]
Hospital Associated Infection Report
The 5 most common hospital-acquired infections cost the U.S. health care system almost $10B a year, according to a new study by Harvard researchers. The study was published online in JAMA Internal Medicine this week. According to CDC, one out of every 20 patients admitted to a hospital will pick up an infection while there. Central line-associated bloodstream infections averaged about [...]
What’s Sarin Gas?
Acetylcholine is a chemical in your body called a neurotransmitter that allows nerves to communicate with other nerves, glands, and muscles. It works in your body in tandem with acetylcholinesterase, which is the enzyme used to break down the acytylcholine. It's like a tennis volley... the two chemicals work hand in hand to keep your nerves operating right. Sarin is a chemical nerve agent. It’s what’s [...]
Cyclosporiasis
One tropical disease that you might have heard in the news lately is cyclosporiasis. This summer, cyclosporiasis was the cause of a multistate outbreak that hit Texas, Iowa and Nebraska the hardest. Cyclosporiasis is a diarrheal illness caused by the single-celled protozoan, Cyclospora cayetanensis. Like most protozoa, people can become infected with Cyclospora by consuming food or water contaminated with the parasite. However, Cyclospora differs [...]
Rural Metro Bankruptcy
A couple of months ago the Rural/Metro Corporation filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Last month I sent them a detailed letter asking for a host of financial and operational information about the company in order to determine whether the company still meets our statutory mandate (ARS 36-2201) and rules requirement (AAC R9-25-912(A)) that they be “Fit and [...]
First Camels- Now Bats?
MERS-CoV (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus) is back in the news again this week. Two weeks ago, I mentioned The Lancet study that identified the potential link between dromedary camels and MERS. Last week, a new animal has been found with a potential link to MERS… the bat. An article in Emerging Infectious Diseases describes a study conducted by the Ministry of [...]