ECRI

Today, more than a year into the COVID pandemic, we're talking about the process of disaster recovery. While much has been written over the past year about the ways in which the national and global healthcare systems prepared (or could have prepared) for the pandemic, and should prepare for the next one, not as much attention has been paid to how individual providers and organizations will recover from the past year's trauma. In this episode, our guest reminds us that challenges like these can also be viewed as opportunities—and we'll discuss how healthcare providers can turn that attitude into action.To learn more about&nbsp;ECRI’s response to the pandemic, check out the <a href="https://www.ecri.org/coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak-preparedness-center/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">COVID-19 Resource Center</a>.

Prior to joining ECRI, Dr. Mueller worked as the Vice President, Medical Affairs and Chief Patient Safety Officer for Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital (JHACH). She also held an appointments as Professor in Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, faculty member of the Armstrong Institute, and was tenured Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Mueller has been a clinical investigator in the area of pediatric HIV disease, and was involved in the fields of sickle cell disease and vascular anomalies.

Brigitta U. Mueller, MD, MHCM, MSJ, CPPS, CPHQ, FISQua, FAAP

Executive Director, Patient Safety, Risk & Quality

In this episode, our guest discusses the COVID-19 challenges for individual providers and organizations, as well as how they will recover from the global pandemic.


Preparing for the Next Global Pandemic

About ECRI

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Welcome to Smart Healthcare Safety from ECRI, where we discuss real healthcare safety issues. The goal of this podcast is to bring ECRI's guidance to life. The recommendations are meant to help you get from being aware of an issue to assuring that your patients are safe.  Hear from our experts and guests on topics that affect your delivery of safe patient care.

Smart Healthcare Safety from ECRI

With access to COVID-19 vaccines now more widespread throughout the United States, but still only available under emergency use authorization, employers are wrestling with questions about whether to mandate that their staff received the vaccine. Perhaps, no industry has a more fraught decisions than Aging Services. There remains a significant gap between vaccination rates among staff and residents, and older adults remain one of the most vulnerable populations to COVID-19.In today’s episode, we’ll review the current state of COVID vaccinations in Aging Services, talk about strategies for increasing vaccination rates, and discuss some of the unintended consequences of not vaccinating.To learn more about&nbsp;ECRI’s Aging Services Risk Management, or to request a demo, visit https://www.ecri.org/solutions/aging-risk-management/.

Victor Rose has worked in the healthcare and non-profit sector for more than 25 years, serving in various executive and leadership roles. Currently, he serves as ECRI’s Director of Aging Services, coordinating business development and consulting in safety, risk management, and quality improvement to providers nationwide and across the aging services care continuum.

Victor Rose

Director, Aging Service

There remains a significant gap between COVID-19 vaccination rates among aging services staff and residents, and older adults remain one of the most vulnerable populations to COVID-19


Overcoming COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services formally designated ECRI as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO) in 2008. Since then, our PSO has studied nearly 4 million adverse events and near misses from over 1,400 healthcare providers nationwide across acute, ambulatory, and aging services. In this episode, we'll explore what it means to be and participate in a PSO and the evidence for how participation can benefit patient safety, and we'll briefly review some of the legal challenges to PSO protections.

Brigitta U. Mueller, M.D., M.H.C.M., M.S.J., CPE, CPPS, CPHQ, FAAP

Executive Director, Patient Safety, Risk & Quality, ECRI

In this episode, we'll explore what it means to be and participate in a PSO and the evidence for how participation can benefit patient safety, and we'll briefly review some of the legal challenges to PSO protections.


What Is the Value of Joining a PSO?

Today, we're talking about ECRI's 2021 list of the Top 10 Health Technology Hazards. This report is intended to identify potential sources of danger that we believe warrant the greatest attention for the coming year and offer practical recommendations for reducing the risks. The 2021 list features all new topics. Several focus on hazards that have developed in today’s environment of unprecedented stresses and rapid technological changes.

Rob Schluth is a principal project officer manager at ECRI, an independent, nonprofit organization providing unbiased assurance on medical technologies and treatments to healthcare professionals around the world. During his 25-year tenure with ECRI's Device Evaluation Group, Rob has contributed to hundreds of the engineering team's device evaluations, problem reports, and guidance articles spanning virtually all health technologies. Rob currently focuses on managing special initiatives, including the annual Health Devices Achievement Award competition and development of ECRI's Top 10 Health Technology Hazards list. The Top 10 list—which identifies potential sources of harm associated with medical technologies and provides recommendations for action—empowers those on (or near) the front lines of patient care to further ECRI's mission of improving the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of healthcare across all settings.

Rob Schluth

Principal Project Officer—Product Development, Device Evaluation, ECRI

In this episode, we'll talk to the project coordinator about how the Top 10 Health Technology Hazards list is generated, how we intend for organizations to use it, and how this year differs from past versions.


Top 10 Health Technology Hazards to Watch

In this episode around COVID-19 vaccines, we’ll discuss topics like why two shots are needed with the currently authorized vaccines, concerns about allergies and contraindications, new mutations, and more.

Graduated as Dr. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Pierre and Marie Curie University (Paris, France) in 2002. Conducted basic research in developmental and cancer biology as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Lerner Research Institute of Cleveland Clinic (2003 – 2009), the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania (2009-2015), and the Harvard Medical School (2015-2016). Joined ECRI’s HTAIS (now CEA) Department in October 2016. My current position is in the Custom Hotline Response Team, and my main work is to conduct rapid evidence reviews to address our member organization questions and help their decision-making regarding medical technologies. My interests focus on making HTA processes more flexible, lean, and accessible to healthcare providers, payers, and manufacturers and findings ways to leverage clinical evidence to inform the general public and promote evidence medicine level all levels.

Alfredo I. Penzo Mendez, PhD

Research Analyst III – Clinical Evidence Assessment

Marcus Lynch is currently the Assistant Manager of Horizon Scanning at ECRI and leads a team of Analysts that identify and assess disruptive healthcare technologies and trends. He previously worked for a number of years as a Senior Analyst covering the therapeutic areas of infectious diseases, pulmonary diseases, rare diseases, and oncology. Prior to ECRI Marcus was a Medical Writer/Scientific Communications Manager for nearly 3 years covering vaccines, antibiotics, and cardiovascular drugs. Marcus earned his PhD from Ohio State in Immunology (vaccine development), an MBA from Penn State, and a BS in Animal Science from the University of Delaware.

Marcus Lynch, PhD, MBA

Assistant Manager, Horizon Scanning, Clinical Excellence and Safety

COVID-19 Vaccines: Questions Answered

Nursing homes have recently been assessed millions of dollars in citations for failing to have effective respiratory protection programs in place to protect staff and residents from COVID-19. Many of these violations are related to the failure to develop a written program, as well as for not providing medical evaluations, training, and fit testing for N95 masks.

Dr. Cassin received her medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She completed a residency in Internal Medicine followed by a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the Perelman School of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where she served on the Infection Control Committee. Following residency, she has practiced clinical infectious diseases as an attending physician at Abington-Jefferson Hospital in Abington, Pennsylvania where she served on the Infection Control Committee and the Medical Executive Committee.

Maureen Cassin, MD

Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Control

Ms. Harpel is a geriatric clinical nurse specialist and a risk management analyst. In her present role, she provides environment-of-care safety and security and quality and risk management consultation to aging services/post-acute care providers. She has developed institutional- based learning programs utilizing electronic media, traditional lecture, just-in-time activities and bedside initiatives that have focused on safe and efficient care delivery.

Jean Harpel, MSN, RN, GCNS, CPASRM

Operations Manager, PSRQ Aging Services, ECRI

Avoiding Nursing Home Penalties for Ineffective Respiratory Protection Programs

This podcast is part of ECRI's ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In today’s episode, Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, President and CEO of ECRI, discusses our position paper on the <a href= "https://d84vr99712pyz.cloudfront.net/p/pdf/covid-19-resource-center/covid-19-clinical-care/covid-resource_fasttrackvaccine_ecri-position.pdf"> fast-tracked development of COVID-19 vaccines</a>. During recent FDA public hearings and within the paper, ECRI warns that rushing to deploy vaccines before all the data has been collected and evaluated could lead to increased risk for patients, not to mention harm to public trust in vaccines in general. Interested in learning more? Contact us at (610) 825-6000 or <a href="mailto:clientservices@ecri.org" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">clientservices@ecri.org</a>.

Recently Added

About

Smart Healthcare Safety from ECRI

Paul Anderson

Director, Patient Safety, Risk, & Quality Publications

Recently Added

Overcoming COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

What Is the Value of Joining a PSO?

Top 10 Health Technology Hazards to Watch

COVID-19 Vaccines: Questions Answered

Avoiding Nursing Home Penalties for Ineffective Respiratory Protection Programs

Risks for Fast-tracked COVID-19 Vaccines

About

Smart Healthcare Safety from ECRI

Paul Anderson

Director, Patient Safety, Risk, & Quality Publications