CMS to Use Joint Commission Recommendations on Ligature Risk as Guide
Regardless of what organization you might use for accreditation, assess your hospital’s suicide prevention compliance against Joint Commission recommendations with a detailed risk assessment and mitigation plan.
Review Your Water Management Plan as CMS Intensifies Focus on Legionella
CMS recently updated a memo to its survey teams on reducing the risk of Legionella to specifically note that facilities must have a water management plan that surveyors can review. That plan should be written and managed by a multidisciplinary committee of people from throughout the hospital with a stake in water use.
PSS-3: Three-Question Suicide Screener for the ER
The tool consists of a short introduction and three questions, with an optional fourth item if the person has previously attempted suicide. It’s meant to be given during triage or primary nursing assessment and has been validated for use on patients 18 and older.
Do Pediatric Adverse Events Occur More Often in Teaching Facilities?
In their examination of 3,790 records, the researchers found that not only did AE rates in pediatric inpatients not improve during the six-year period examined, but those rates “were substantially higher in teaching hospitals” compared to community hospitals.
AAMC: Doc Shortage Will Cause Changes in Safety, Analytics, and Risk Management
The need for physicians is driven by many factors; among them, 10,000 baby boomers are reaching the age of 65 every day, and millions of new patients now insured under the Affordable Care Act are starting to make appointments to see the doctor.
Ob Hospitalist Group Creates Nationwide Second Victim Support Network
Ob Hospitalist Group has launched a program for its network of more than 600 obstetricians and midwives who suffer from vicarious trauma—no matter where it takes place.
Are the Days of Needle-Free Blood Draws Close?
The Houston-based group International Safety Center in July 2017 released surveillance data from hospitals in 2015 that showed a marked increase in injuries from sharps and needlesticks sustained by training physicians (i.e., residents and interns) compared to 2014, and an overall increase in injuries sustained in the operating room.
The Pipes Are Calling: CMS Revises Legionella Requirements
The Legionella bacterium is responsible for legionellosis: a respiratory disease that can cause a type of pneumonia called Legionnaires’ disease, which kills about a quarter of the people who contract it.
Q&A: Imaging Technology and Making Safety and Quality a Priority in C-suite Agendas
In this Q&A, Austin O’Connell of Philips Healthcare discusses the newest imaging technology, as well as how hospitals create a value proposition for safety and quality that resonates on the floor of the radiology department and in the boardroom.
Improve Patient Mobility in Five Easy Steps
To address this issue and ensure patients were getting the ambulation they needed to achieve optimal outcomes, the hospital revamped its mobility program, including creation of a designated mobility team.