Serving Kansas City (Wyandotte County) Kansas for over 50 years!
A ServSafe course will be held from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17, at the K-State Research and Extension Office, Wyandotte County, 1216 N. 79th St., Kansas City, Kansas.
Registration is needed to 913-299-9300 or email [email protected]. The registration fee of $10 per person will cover the cost of materials and a workbook.
The class is ideal for persons who are looking for work in the food service field, or who are already employed in food service.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently updated data on the Hospital Compare website and on data.medicare.gov to provide patients, families and all stakeholders with the information needed to compare the performance of hospitals where they seek medical care. Along with data on quality measures, CMS will also update the Overall Hospital Star Rating.
Two Prime Healthcare facilities in the area, Providence Medical Center, Kansas City, Kan., and Saint John Hospital, Leavenworth, Kan., both received the coveted five-star rating.
“The star award is given based on metrics such as mortality, readmission, patient safety and patient experience,” said Roni Griffith, registered nurse and performance improvement director. “Our hospitals were two out of only 10 in the state of Kansas to receive the five-star recognition.
“This rating demonstrates our hospitals’ commitment to patient safety and quality,” she added.
Hospital Compare (https://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/search.html) reports information on quality measures for over 4,000 hospitals nationwide, including Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Centers and military hospitals. The website provides information for patients and caregivers on how well hospitals deliver care and encourages hospitals to improve the quality of care provided. Users can compare performance across many common conditions.
For this update, CMS responds to stakeholder concerns by updating several existing measures and the Overall Star Rating. The Overall Star Rating has been revised refreshing assign ratings to hospitals, based on Technical Expert Panel recommendations and public input.
“We continue to refine the Star Ratings and look forward to an ongoing dialogue with hospitals and patients and their families on how we can provide beneficiaries useful information,” Seema Verma, CMS administrator, said.
CMS’s Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating on Hospital Compare is updated twice per year, in July and December. CMS is committed to working with stakeholders in a transparent manner to evaluate and update the Overall Star Rating.
As a proven healthcare consumer tool, the Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating summarizes data from existing measures on Hospital Compare for each hospital to allow users to easily compare hospital facilities.
In addition, with data.medicare.gov, users can explore and download hospital data, as well as data on ambulatory surgical centers, inpatient psychiatric facilities, and some cancer hospitals.
As part of the December update, CMS posted supporting documents related to the Star Ratings on www.qualitynet.org.
– Story from Pat McBratney, manager, marketing and communications, Providence Medical Center
Residential and commercial trash collection in Wyandotte County will be delayed because of the icy weather, according to Waste Management of Kansas City.
“With the current poor road conditions due to the icy weather, our primary concern is for the safety of our drivers and the public,” said Paul Howe, senior manager of community relations manager for Waste Management, in an announcement earlier today. “As a result, we are pulling collection vehicles off the road at this time.”
Thursday residential service will be collected on Friday, and Friday customers will be collected by end of day Saturday, according to the announcement.
“We appreciate the understanding and patience of our customers,” Howe said.
For service updates, check www.wm.com.