Premier Healthcare Alliance Launches Comprehensive Website On Deep Vein Thrombosis

Main Category: Vascular
Also Included In: IT / Internet / E-mail
Article Date: 27 Mar 2008 - 6:00 PDT

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Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the third most common cause of preventable hospital-related deaths in the United States. VTE can manifest as a deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a clot in a vein. It can also manifest as a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism if it breaks loose and moves into the lung.

Although VTE is a common risk for certain hospitalized patients, many non-hospitalized people also have inherent risks and reasons for concern. March marks DVT Awareness Month, and to further promote awareness of risks and prevention strategies for DVT, Premier's Safety Institute has launched a comprehensive Website on this condition. The Premier Safety Institute is the nation's most recognized resource on hospital safety issues, and its Website receives more than five million hits annually.

"The goal of the VTE Website is to provide quick access to resources to identify the risks and implement and track prevention strategies," said Premier Safety Institute Vice President Gina Pugliese.

The site - http://www.premierinc.com/safety - is publicly available and contains tools, best practices and guidelines from a variety of professional organizations and healthcare groups, including Premier. The site helps medical professionals conduct risk assessment, identify opportunities for improvement and benchmark success.

Preventing VTE and its complications remains a national priority for healthcare quality and safety professionals. Offering surgical patients preventive therapy for DVT is among the performance measures that hospitals must publicly report to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to be eligible for their full Medicare payment. According to CMS' Hospital Compare Website where this data is publicly shared, 79 percent of hospitals report that physicians have ordered DVT preventive therapy for patients having certain types of procedures. DVT is also one of the hospital-acquired conditions that CMS is considering for reduced payment in 2009.

About Premier Inc., 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient

Serving 1,700 U.S. hospitals and more than 49,000 other healthcare sites, the Premier healthcare alliance and its members are transforming healthcare together. Owned by not-for-profit hospitals, Premier operates one of the leading healthcare purchasing networks and the nation's most comprehensive repository of hospital clinical and financial information. A subsidiary operates one of the nation's largest policy-holder owned, hospital professional liability risk-retention groups. A world leader in helping healthcare providers deliver dramatic improvements in care, Premier is working with the United Kingdom's National Health Service North West and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to improve hospital performance. Premier's Safety Institute provides publicly available safety resources and tools to promote a safe healthcare delivery environment for patients, workers, and their communities. Headquartered in San Diego, Premier has offices in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia, and Washington. For more information, visit http://www.premierinc.com. Established to improve the health of communities, Premier and its members are transforming healthcare together.

http://www.premierinc.com