Review Emergency Medical Treatment & Active Labor Act (EMTALA) requirements with your emergency departments, especially as the season for flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has the potential to flood hospital beds again.
Expect CMS to maintain its concentration on complaint surveys as the agency continues to work on its post-COVID-19 backlog through the start of the new year. Also look for OSHA to continue its focus on workplace violence protections in healthcare while CMS and its umbrella agency, the Department...
Hospitals no longer must worry about new—or in some cases even old—ligature risk extension requests (LRER) for deficiencies that cannot be corrected within 60 days. However, hospitals still need to perform risk assessments and have a way to reduce the potential for patients to harm themselves,...
Reducing physical risks for self-harm remains a key part of meeting CMS requirements to provide patient care in a safe setting, but don’t focus everything on ligature risk.
The pivotal role of accreditation leaders is undeniable in ensuring patient outcomes and institutional integrity. Tasked with navigating the maze of regulations and standards, these leaders are fundamental in ensuring healthcare institutions comply with and surpass benchmarks in quality care.
Healthcare workers are no strangers to burnout and suicide as many suffer from emotional exhaustion and mental and physical stress due to the demanding nature of their job, including long working hours, high-stress environments, and death in extreme cases.
Determining how your facility addresses requests for information about how it complies with CMS’ Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) Conditions of Participation (CoP) while protecting sensitive patient safety details is a task for leadership and the hospital attorney...
This is Part 2 of our coverage of revisions to U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) <797> requirements for compounding sterile medication, which were discussed by Robert Campbell, PharmD, BCSCP, The Joint Commission’s (TJC) director of Medication Management, during the accreditor’s...
The clinical director of The Joint Commission’s (TJC) Standards Interpretation Group is warning hospitals that one of the greatest risks for noncompliance under revisions to U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) <797> requirements for compounding sterile medication will be under drugs in the category 3...
What is meant by the phrase “supporting situational awareness”? It’s simple: Healthcare leaders must understand the critical link between situational awareness and clinical decision-making.
