Safety concerns and potential for erroneous errors have made the Waived Testing (WT) chapter a common area of focus for surveyors during patient tracers. Surveyors will observe staff while performing waived testing and ask them questions about training and competency. Therefore, you will want...
As the result of a CMS directive, unannounced surveys for organizations started in 2006. If you are undergoing a deemed status survey, your visit will be unannounced except in certain circumstances, such as for durable medical equipment or small-office practices. Organizations new to...
To assist organizations in improving their credentialing and privileging processes, the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) has released an updated version of its Credentialing and Privileging Toolkit.
According to a press release from AAAHC, the toolkit...
Environmentally sustainable healthcare is not only a patient safety issue but can also save hospitals money in the long run, said executives with The Joint Commission (TJC) in introducing a new certification program during its annual Executive Briefing, held September 20.
In the coming year, hospitals accredited by The Joint Commission will see more on-site complaint surveys, plus more focus on their progress regarding health equity and environmental sustainability. But they might also see fewer and more efficient standard requirements.
The date on the most recent edition of CMS State Operations Manual, Appendix A, now says it was revised as of July 21, 2023. But the latest update only involved one section.
With the scarcity of many drugs reaching an all-time high, 99% of hospital pharmacists surveyed recently said they were seeing shortages, and a third of those said the shortages were having a critical impact on healthcare.
Sit down with pharmacy leadership and review section-by-section compliance with the revised U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) standards on medication compounding because The Joint Commission (TJC), the Accreditation Commission for Healthcare (ACHC), and other accrediting organizations will assess...
It can be frustrating to see safety issues go unnoticed or unattended, especially after they have been reported. The apparent roadblocks to solutions may be a lack of funds, busy or disinterested leadership, or even a poor culture of safety. There are steps you can take, however, which can help...
