TJC Offers New Compendium of Workplace Safety Resources
Much like the TJC’s other websites offering links to resources, the site breaks out the information into federal and TJC compendiums, that in turn offer different levels of work tools on healthcare worker care and safety. For instance, the resource links to TJC’s own workplace violence website, as well as federal healthcare staff-related resources from OSHA, the CDC and NIOSH.
CMS Revises Methodology for Calculating Staffing Star Rating
These measures, which have been posted on the CMS website for more than a decade, are used to calculate each nursing home’s star rating for the staffing section of the Nursing Home Five-Star Quality Rating System.
CMS Proposes to Cut Audio-Only Telehealth Coverage
The proposal imperils a service that had become popular during the pandemic, when health systems shifted in-person care to virtual channels to cut down on hospital traffic and reduce the spread of the virus. Thanks to federal and state waivers tied to the pandemic, healthcare providers were allowed to connect with patients on a telephone or other non-video platform for some healthcare services and be reimbursed for those services.
CMS Strengthens Guidance on EMTALA and Emergency Abortions
The reminder comes more than two weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision legalizing abortion nationwide. The memo also includes a note that hospitals and physicians may face civil financial penalty for denying patients emergency care.
CMS Updates IC Interpretive Guidelines for Hospitals
The long-awaited updates were among the many new requirements from its 2019 final rule burden reduction as well as other rules on discharge planning published just before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
CMS Updates IC, Other Survey Guidance for Long-Term Care Facilities
The Quality, Safety and Oversight Group memo, QSO-22-19-NH, outlines the updates, which are part of a White House effort announced earlier this year to improve safety and quality of care in nursing homes. The APIC alert also notes that CMS has online training for surveyors and nursing home stakeholders on CMS’ Quality, Safety, and Education Portal (QSEP).
CMS Eases Up on COVID-19 Vaccination Verification During Regular Surveys
Now that hospitals and other healthcare providers have had time to meet the CMS staff COVID-19 vaccination requirements, CMS is easing up on verification, according to a Quality, Safety and Oversight group memo posted Tuesday afternoon.
CMS Updates Guidelines for Ambulatory Surgical Centers—Can Hospital SOM Be Far Behind?
The changes were published in the June 3 memo QSO-22-16-ASC, which also notes that the last time Appendix L was updated was in late 2019, and that “currently, the online version of Appendix L has several placeholders in the tags that note ‘guidance pending and will be updated in a future release’.”
Why Systemwide Vendor Credentialing Compliance Is Vital for Health System Safety
Within the context of a once-in-a-generation pandemic, healthcare compliance has evolved rapidly. Shifting rules, regulations, and standards have required health system leaders to revisit, reevaluate, and reinvest in their compliance strategies. A robust compliance program helps health systems better address this evolving landscape and better protect their organization from additional risk.
DNV Updates Requirements on Medical Exemptions for COVID-19 Vaccine
Check any medical exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccination that your facility approved before the CMS requirements for hospitals went into effect, says DNV Healthcare officials.