It’s a new year, but the lab safety work continues, says Dan Scungio MT(ASCP), SLS, a laboratory safety officer for multihospital system Sentara Healthcare in Virginia. It’s the time of year when staff should look back at their successes and challenges from the past year, while...
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.
As one might imagine, I’ve had the chance to review a lot of different risk assessments over the course of the last little while (OK, maybe more than a little while…unless 20-plus years is a little while). One of the interesting dynamics I’ve encountered relates to the surveillance of...
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...
The establishment of a drug diversion oversight committee is critical for healthcare facilities. As the healthcare industry grapples with the imperative to mitigate the unauthorized use or misappropriation of medications, this committee's role becomes ever more pivotal.
While artificial intelligence might be headline news, healthcare and medicine will remain the domain of human caregivers for a long time to come. Doctors to diagnose illnesses, nurses to care for patients. Surgeons to perform operations, lab techs to identify diseases. Receptionists, pharmacists...
As hospitals continue to tackle the challenges of keeping staff and patients safe, some facilities are considering bolstering their security with K-9 forces. In response, the International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety (IAHSS) recently approved guidelines for “Canine (K-9)...
First off, I want to wish you all the very brightest and most prosperous New Year—it’s been a while since a new year has totally delivered on its promise, but I (as always) choose to remain optimistic until proven otherwise.
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,...
Safe patient handling and mobility programs (SPHM) help reduce injuries to both patients and staff throughout long-term care facilities, acute care facilities, home healthcare, and other high-risk areas. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), SPHM programs involve...