The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) quietly changed a policy last week, exempting certain foreign physicians from processing holds that have been jeopardizing their ability to practice medicine in the United States.
According to HR Acuity, workplace violence incidents in large hospital systems jumped 35% in 2024. This is more than double the 15% increase seen across the broader business landscape.
Musculoskeletal injuries tied to patient handling remain one of the most persistent safety risks in hospitals—not because policies are missing, but because execution at the bedside breaks down under real-world conditions.
Clinical laboratories require a tremendous amount of energy to function. From continuous ventilation to temperature-controlled storage, water consumption, and high volumes of waste, routine laboratory operations carry a significant environmental footprint.
Communication between emergency management teams and outside/local agencies is always lacking. Especially when it comes to disaster response, it seems like notification is always siloed among one department or organization, creating response delays, inadequacies, and sheer chaos.
Accreditation and quality leaders have long relied on The Joint Commission (TJC)’s most frequently scored standards as a barometer for risk of getting a finding. However, that approach may no longer be enough.
Hospitals invest heavily in quality improvement, patient safety programs, risk management infrastructure, and regulatory compliance teams. But those functions often operate in parallel rather than as a unified system, and early warning signals can be missed.
In this guest column, Dan Scungio, MT(ASCP), SLS, laboratory safety officer for multihospital system Sentara Healthcare in Virginia, and otherwise known as “Dan, the Lab Safety Man,” discusses the important issues that affect your job every day. Today, he talks about national lab safety trends...
Facilities should develop a standard protocol for dealing with spills. Protocols will vary based on the biological agent, but a systematic process should involve several key steps.
Fire and life safety compliance in healthcare often centers on well-known problem areas such as fire doors, sprinkler systems, and corridor clutter, but some of the most consequential risks receive far less attention.
