Pre-March 28 Medical Marijuana Certifications
As I was looking through a weekly publication in the Phoenix area I noticed that there are several physicians that are already advertising their services for medical marijuana evaluations and certifications for a fee. Some of the ads and websites seem to imply that the certifications that physicians are writing right now will be valid for getting an Qualified Patient identification [...]
Assisted Living Technical Assistance
Our Assisted Living Licensing Office is working hard to get the message out about important (and exciting) changes taking place in the program, like our new Online Renewal System. Representatives from the Office are meeting with the Arizona Board of Examiners of Nursing Care Institution Administrators and Assisted Living Facility Managers, the Long Term Care Ombudsman, Adult Protective Services, AHCCCS, [...]
Healthcare Associated Infections Report
Good news this time. The number of bloodstream infections in intensive care unit patients with central lines decreased by 58% over the last 10 years according to a new CDC Vital Signs report. This decrease saved 27,000 lives and $1.8B in excess health care costs. Bloodstream infections in patients with central lines can be deadly, killing as many as 1 [...]
ADHS & UA Score New Traumatic Brain Injury Grant
Approximately 20,000 folks are seen in the AZ emergency departments for a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Of these 1,000 die and 4,500 are hospitalized. At least 2% of the U.S. population has a TBI-related long-term need for help to perform activities of daily living. So, needless to say, brain injury is a major public health issue. There’s growing evidence that the management of [...]
What’s Procure AZ?
We began working over 2 years ago with the State Procurement Office to initiate a statewide e-procurement system called Procure AZ. The goal of the statewide system is transparency of all procurement actions, cost reductions, and a more efficient use of time and resources by reducing purchasing timelines. We started using the new system on last July and to date [...]
Handwashing Report
A recent report in Surgery News found that a six-month "process improvement project" that added a simple hand-washing question to the daily ICU checklist decreased the rate of central line-associated bloodstream infections in a surgical ICU.