Joint Commission Proposes Standard to Tackle Hospital Impact on Climate Change
Hospitals may soon have to measure energy use, fleet vehicle gas consumption, solid waste disposal, and other measures under proposed climate change standards by The Joint Commission (TJC), which puts responsibility not only on leadership but also “clinical and facility representatives.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 74 – The Quality Roadmap for Ambulatory Health Organizations
On episode 74 of PSQH: The Podcast, Julie Lynch, Director of the AAAHC Institute for Quality Improvement, talks about how ambulatory health organizations are faring on AAAHC surveys. This episode is presented as part of Patient Safety Awareness Week and is sponsored by GoJo, the makers of Purell; IAC, Nuance, and Origami Risk.
Joint Commission’s Psychiatric Hospital Accreditation Program Approved for Another 6 Years
CMS required the accrediting organization to increase training of its surveyors, as well as make other procedural changes, to ensure TJC was aligned with the federal agency’s oversight of psychiatric hospitals, according to an announcement in the Federal Register, scheduled to be published on February 27.
Inspector General Provides Recommendations for Nursing Home Infection Prevention
Using Medicare claims data, the OIG looked at 15,086 nursing homes nationwide that had “extremely high” infection rates between spring and fall of 2020. Particularly, they looked at each facility’s characteristics, whether they’d been cited with infection control deficiencies, as well as if their reported nursing hours met Medicare’s minimum requirement.
Review Fire and Evacuation Protocols in Wake of Recent Hospital Fire Near Boston
Review fire and evacuation drills to ensure you can get all patients and visitors out without injury or death, just as a Massachusetts hospital did on February 7, after a transformer caught fire in the basement of a connecting building.
It’s Official: COVID-19 Public Health Emergency to End on May 11
As promised, the White House is giving ample notice—the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) will end on May 11. In a statement January 30, the White House said it would end the PHE, which has allowed hospitals and other providers a number of compliance and other waivers to help ease the burden on healthcare.
OSHA’s Regulatory Plans for 2023
Labor Secretary Marty Walsh recently confirmed that three OSHA healthcare rulemakings are priorities for the Labor Department: a permanent healthcare COVID-19 standard, a proposed infectious disease standard, and a rulemaking to address workplace violence in health care and social services.
Joint Commission Targets Maternal Health Crisis
This week, TJC released a Sentinel Event Alert and Quick Safety advisory on maternal mortality and morbidity. “We must address the maternal health crisis immediately, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated racial disparities in pregnancy-related outcomes,” Ana Pujols McKee, MD, executive vice president, chief medical officer, and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer of TJC, said in a prepared statement.
The Joint Commission Elevates Health Equity to National Patient Safety Goal
The Joint Commission (TJC) —which last year issued new hospital Leadership standards to encourage health equity, effective January 1, 2023—has now elevated health equity to a National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG).
There are no new requirements for NPSG.16.10.01, which echo the Leadership standards except to identify all six elements of performance (EPs) as risk areas.
And Again: PHE Continues After 90-Day Renewal Issued
The COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) is now extended. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra issued the renewal on January 11. The typically 90-day extension would then last through April 11, 2023.