
HealthStream offers performance learning management solutions to help develop your healthcare staff into leaders and reduce turnover.
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View All ProductsHealthStream's proven methods for the improvement and overall engagement of your healthcare staff foster a positive workplace and increase retention rates.
View All ProductsThe leadership development program from HealthStream helps mold your high-potential healthcare employees into proven leaders.
View All ProductsFulfill compliance requirements with a variety of programs and courseware designed to address critical regulatory requirements as well as educate staff to recognize and mitigate risks.
View All ProductsBy increasing your healthcare staff's focus on quality and safety with HealthStream, they can help to reduce medical errors and readmission rates.
View All ProductsLearn about what HealthStream's healthcare policy management software and how it can help aid your organization efforts.
View All ProductsHealthStream's education helps address diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization, as well as promoting health equity in the communities you serve.
View All ProductsDeliver custom or industry designed product training directly to patient and resident care environments to reinforce proper use.
View All ProductsTeach your healthcare staff about the revenue cycle and claim management through targeted training and video tools from HealthStream.
View All ProductsIn all areas of resuscitation, from neonatal to elderly care, clinical deterioration is a risk that can be avoided with the help of HealthStream's training programs.
View All ProductsHealthStream's EMS Program offers a comprehensive, CAPCE accredited EMS course library that meets National Registry annual recertification.
View All ProductsNurture the skills of your nurses and medical staff to help mold them into effective leaders with development training from HealthStream.
View All ProductsMake sure your clinicians have the support they need to provide competent care with clinical competency training and development from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All ProductsThe suite of healthcare onboarding solutions available from HealthStream aids in nurse retention and improved patient outcomes.
View All ProductsGive your healthcare staff the decision support and skills training they need with the online products available from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream leverages medical professional development in healthcare by providing staff training programs
View All ProductsExperience standardized and centralized healthcare credentialing, privileging, and enrollment that is smarter and faster than ever before.
View All ProductsAutomated, web-based provider credentialing and enrollment software for growing medical groups.
View All ProductsNCQA-certified CVO verification services for initial and re-credentialing files in an overflow or full-service capacity for healthcare organizations.
View All ProductsSearch, review, and add providers into the Epic provider master file with our Epic app integration, Provider Validate.
View All ProductsFinally, a comprehensive resource to support collecting, storing, and sharing credentialing data with ease.
View All ProductsHealthcare scheduling software designed to optimize staffing requirements & elevate patient care
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View All ProductsHealthStream’s free nurse schedule app, NurseGrid™, is built to help you care for your staff and engage with their specific needs.
View All ProductsMitigate risk and elevate your quality of care. Improving both clinical and business outcomes starts with a smarter, more integrated approach to regulatory training, continuing education and quality management.
Learn MoreThe opioid epidemic was already a national health crisis before the pandemic, and the arrival of COVID-19 created the perfect storm among many vulnerable populations. Based on a webinar featuring a panel discussion on the current state of the opioid epidemic, this blog post explores the threat of these compounding public health crises. Featured in the conversation are panelists Trisha Coady, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Workforce Development Solutions at HealthStream, Meredith Gerland, Senior Director of Quality Innovation at the National Quality Forum (NQF), Duane Reynolds, CEO and Founder of Just Health Collective, and Deborah Taylor Tate, Director of Administrative Office of the Courts for the Tennessee Supreme Court.
Gerland shares that in the face of the pandemic, addressing the opioid crisis has become even more challenging. She explains, "The opioid and substance use disorder crisis has continued to be amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. And the convergence of these two public health emergencies has really led to an increase in an acceleration in overdose deaths. As information continues to emerge related to some of the longer-term impacts of the pandemic, it's really become increasingly clear that individuals with substance use disorder have been disproportionately affected by this disruption to daily life that we've all faced over the past year and a half." The following four steps can help organizations in the battle against these overlapping crises.
There has been a 30 percent increase in opioid-related deaths between 2019-2020, with approximately 250 daily deaths related to opioid overdose occurring in 2020. More than 54 percent of people know someone who has died from a drug overdose. Further, some 8.7 million children are in households with at least one parent with a substance use disorder—leading to a 100 percent increase in children entering foster care system due to parental drug since 2000.
The annual cost to U.S. hospitals related to opioids has been estimated at over 20 billion. Related to this is the fact that systemic bias, impacting a large portion of those affected by the opioid epidemic, additionally creates a huge financial burden. The annual direct cost economic burden of health inequities is over half a trillion dollars (57.5 billion dollars). Hospitals cannot afford to see these numbers continue to skyrocket, especially during a pandemic.
Individuals with a recent diagnosis of substance use disorder, particularly opioid use disorder, are at a significantly increased risk for COVID-19, and individuals with substance-use disorder and COVID-19 had worse outcomes compared to other COVID-19 patients. Gerland points out, "The mental health ramifications of social distancing and isolation also have far-reaching impacts for everyone, but especially for those with substance-use disorder and in particular opioid use disorder."
A new approach to education is needed if we are going to see change. Coady points out, "Building a culture of safety and belonging takes time. It takes education on evidence-based care, creative partnerships, and shared best practices." The following three steps guide organizations in shifting from a compliance focus to centering on organizational culture and the commitment to change:
"We're at a point in the evolution of our health care system where health equity is no longer just a nice thing to have," Reynolds explains. "When I think about diversity, equity, inclusion, what I term 'belonging,' it's really foundational to the culture of an organization in order to be able to then move towards health equity. It is a capacity, knowledge, and skillset that every healthcare organization really needs to have no matter where you are in this country."
If organizations are going to address the major systemic issues their patients face, it is critical to frame their understanding from a health equity perspective. Explore HealthStream solutions that cultivate a culture of belonging by empowering a diverse and inclusive workforce.
Acknowledging that healthcare providers must be supported in their implementation of national guidelines on appropriate pain management, NQF identified a series of seven fundamentals with actionable strategies, barriers and solutions, and resources to help implement practical on-the-ground strategies. Gerland emphasizes, "The goal of an opioid stewardship program is really to focus on safe and appropriate use of pain management strategies and not to just blindly reduce opioid prescribing."
For more information about opioid-related education, explore HealthStream and NQF's National Quality Partners Playbook on Opioid Stewardship.
HealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All Learning & PerformanceHealthStream offers performance learning management solutions to help develop your healthcare staff into leaders and reduce turnover.
View All ProductsHealthStream works with healthcare organizations to create engaging and high-quality training videos for your staff and management.
View All ProductsImprove care quality and save money by making informed decisions about your healthcare facility and staff with HealthStream's reporting analytics solution.
View All ProductsHealthStream's proven methods for the improvement and overall engagement of your healthcare staff foster a positive workplace and increase retention rates.
View All ProductsThe leadership development program from HealthStream helps mold your high-potential healthcare employees into proven leaders.
View All ProductsWhen you enact HealthStream's quality compliance solutions, you can do so with the confidence your healthcare organization will meet all standards of care.
View All Quality & ComplianceFulfill compliance requirements with a variety of programs and courseware designed to address critical regulatory requirements as well as educate staff to recognize and mitigate risks.
View All ProductsBy increasing your healthcare staff's focus on quality and safety with HealthStream, they can help to reduce medical errors and readmission rates.
View All ProductsLearn about what HealthStream's healthcare policy management software and how it can help aid your organization efforts.
View All ProductsHealthStream's education helps address diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization, as well as promoting health equity in the communities you serve.
View All ProductsHealthStream offers professional training and education on how to best optimize your reimbursement process within your healthcare organization.
View All ReimbursementTeach your healthcare staff about the revenue cycle and claim management through targeted training and video tools from HealthStream.
View All ProductsLearn about our advanced resuscitation training solutions. Our solutions are designed to help improve patient outcomes.
View All ResuscitationIn all areas of resuscitation, from neonatal to elderly care, clinical deterioration is a risk that can be avoided with the help of HealthStream's training programs.
View All ProductsHealthStream's EMS Program offers a comprehensive, CAPCE accredited EMS course library that meets National Registry annual recertification.
View All ProductsNurture the skills of your nurses and medical staff to help mold them into effective leaders with development training from HealthStream.
View All ProductsExpand the decision-making skills and effectiveness of your healthcare workforce with HealthStream's clinical development programs and services.
View All Clinical DevelopmentMake sure your clinicians have the support they need to provide competent care with clinical competency training and development from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All ProductsThe suite of healthcare onboarding solutions available from HealthStream aids in nurse retention and improved patient outcomes.
View All ProductsGive your healthcare staff the decision support and skills training they need with the online products available from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream leverages medical professional development in healthcare by providing staff training programs
View All ProductsLearn more about HealthStream's Provider Credentialing, privileging, & enrollment solutions.
View All CredentialingExperience standardized and centralized healthcare credentialing, privileging, and enrollment that is smarter and faster than ever before.
View All ProductsAutomated, web-based provider credentialing and enrollment software for growing medical groups.
View All ProductsNCQA-certified CVO verification services for initial and re-credentialing files in an overflow or full-service capacity for healthcare organizations.
View All ProductsSearch, review, and add providers into the Epic provider master file with our Epic app integration, Provider Validate.
View All ProductsMake sure your healthcare staff can schedule out appointments and work schedules with ease using HealthStream's line of software solutions.
View All SchedulingHealthcare scheduling software designed to optimize staffing requirements & elevate patient care
View All ProductsPrecisely align staffing and needed resources to enable efficient patient flow and high-quality, cost-effective patient care.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s free nurse schedule app, NurseGrid™, is built to help you care for your staff and engage with their specific needs.
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