As we enter 2021, experts widely expect that climate change and environmental damage will take an increasing toll on health and healthcare. And as our environment changes, hospitals and clinics need to adapt as well, said Brennan Scott, CHFM, CHOP, head of surveyor development...
On September 11, 2020, an elderly woman in Germany was rushed to the University Hospital Düsseldorf (UKD) with a life-threatening aortic aneurysm. However, when the ambulance arrived at UKD, they discovered the facility had been...
“Despite concerted efforts to improve patient safety over the past 20 years, patients continue to experience high-severity injury outcomes,” wrote lead author Ann Burke, RN, CPHRM, CPPS, senior director of risk management for Coverys before her recent retirement. “This report...
When your facility can’t access its medical records, operate its equipment, and properly care for patients, that’s not a problem—it’s an emergency, said Kelly Proctor, CHFM, CHSP, CHOP, director of operations for DNV GL Healthcare, during DNV GL’s 2020 Virtual Conference in...
Without addressing the root causes of hand hygiene noncompliance before COVID-19, facilities will fall back into bad patterns after the pandemic says Klaus Nether, DHS, CSSMBB, the executive director of high reliability product delivery at The Joint Commission’s Center for...
While many view earthquakes as a West Coast issue, the truth is that 45 states and U.S. territories are at moderate to high risk for earthquakes. Some of this risk is from natural features like fault lines and tectonic plates. However, more areas have been put at risk for shakes due to man-made...
With the coronavirus pandemic heightening the focus on patient care, we’re highlighting patient safety in hospitals. A top way to avoid unnecessary complications and deaths is to work on preventing blood clots—or venous thromboembolisms (VTE). Every year, ...
With more droughts and heat waves expected in upcoming years, it’s time for hospitals and clinics to be more water-conscious
Climate change is making the world hotter and drier, with more intense heat waves and droughts expected in upcoming years. While this can lead to more intense ...
Last fall, as CMS and accrediting organizations increased their scrutiny of how hospitals address suicide risk, the question of whether security or police officers could be...
Assess your environmental cleaning protocols, ensure staff are trained properly, and verify the effectiveness of both as CMS increases scrutiny of infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this year CMS cited hospitals for not following their own policies...
