An unplanned fire is the ultimate sign that things have gone sideways.
Despite being labeled a never event and countless regulations on how to prevent them, fires still break out in hospitals. Between 2012 and 2014 there were 5,700 medical facility fires reported to fire departments. And...
The International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety Foundation (IAHSS) in August 2017 released a report to address strategies to prevent workplace violence in healthcare. Those familiar with the healthcare industry won’t be surprised by its conclusion: Healthcare facilities need...
A new CMS memo creates a definition of a ligature risk, a time frame for correcting them, and interim guidance for surveyors, plus requirements for requesting a time extension for a plan of correction taking longer than 60 days.
A study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association made headlines this November, announcing that overlapping surgeries didn’t increase the risk of postop complications. This study, and several others like it that came out in 2017, suggests the practice may not be as...
In 2017, a Missouri hospital found out the hard way that when not addressed quickly, restraint and seclusion deficiencies can spiral out of control. Twice in one year, CMS ruled that Mercy Hospital Springfield was putting patients in immediate jeopardy after inspectors found problems with the...
In the last week of June 2017, foreign-born computer malware attacked the systems of several U.S. companies—including Princeton Community Hospital in Princeton, West Virginia, and Heritage Valley Health System in Beaver, Pennsylvania.
Phishing emails aren’t just aimed at getting credit card numbers, usernames, passwords, and (in the case of hospitals) patient records and data. They are also used to spread ransomware, like the WannaCry virus in 2017. Consider testing how well staff practice safe email infection control by...
There was plenty of patient safety–related news in 2017. This story index of all the PSMJ articles that ran last year will help you quickly find what you need.
Providers that have been confused about how to handle patients’ requests to access their medical records have a new tool: a model records request form, courtesy of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
