Today’s care coordination is often a manual and time-consuming process that depends on hard-copy patient lists, notes, and other physical documentation. Improving this state of affairs has historically involved throwing people at the problem—dedicating hours and staff to tasks like closing care...
The CDC has updated its guidance on infection control of monkeypox for healthcare settings, reminding providers that any case suspected of being of the more deadly Congo Basin clade requires more extensive precautions, including the handling of hazardous medical waste (HMW). Any medical waste...
When you’re the only critical access hospital around for hundreds of miles, you’d better have the resources for treating patients in need of emergency care—or the means for quickly and effectively getting patients to the care they need.
I am often asked how somebody responsible for laboratory safety, yet with other duties to fulfill, can do the job well. Today’s labs have tight staffing, tight budgeting, and a score of regulatory duties that must be accomplished—not all of which revolve around safety.
Statistically, the longer a patient waits to see a specialist, the more likely they are to fall off their care plan or experience additional complications. And wait times continue to increase; by some metrics, wait times to see a specialist have doubled in the past year.
It’s the 21stcentury, and the importance of communication cannot be understated. Crafting an effective message is key for so many patient safety and accreditation compliance challenges, whether it’s getting staff to follow hand-washing policies, convincing communities to get screened...
The fire began in the university chemistry laboratory and quickly got out of hand. The local fire department was called as the flames became too much for extinguishers to handle. When the fire trucks arrived, the battalion chief asked for a chemical inventory so that his crew would be aware of...
Emergency showers, manufacturer instructions, staffing and personnel issues—these are some of the standards that laboratories are struggling with, according to the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC). In its fall/winter 2021 edition of ...
When a medical error occurs, the investigation should start with why the mistake happened and examine the systems and processes before asking who made the mistake. While there does need to be accountability if standard practices were not followed, healthcare systems must...
Someone’s always checking for compliance when it comes to fire safety, especially in healthcare facilities. Naturally, that includes several regulatory agencies: CMS, The Joint Commission (TJC), Department of Health, and the local fire department, just to name a few. They will all be looking for...
