Hospitals Urge OSHA to Drop COVID-19 Rulemaking
The AHA voiced its opposition to establishing a permanent standard not aligned with evolving evidence-based guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The group suggested a permanent standard could create confusion, lower employee morale, and worsen healthcare staffing shortages.
DNV Healthcare Announces Top Management Change
Horine has been with the Houston-based accrediting organization (AO) since his former consulting company, TÜV Healthcare Specialists, was obtained by DNV in 2008, and has led the company for 10 years. Kelly Proctor, CHFM, CHSP, CHOP, DNV Healthcare’s director of operations, will take Horine’s place as president as of May 15, according to a company announcement.
CMS Approves TJC as an AO for Another Three Years
In an announcement scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on May 2, CMS said that TJC made all the changes required of the agency but that “due to travel restrictions and the reprioritization of survey activities brought on by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Public Health Emergency (PHE), CMS was unable to observe a hospital survey completed by TJC surveyors as part of the application review process, which is one component of the comparability evaluation. Therefore, we are providing TJC with a shorter period of approval.”
In First Year of Coronavirus Pandemic, U.S. Life Expectancy Fell by 1.87 Years
In 2020, there were more deaths from COVID-19 in the United States than any other country, and Americans had relatively high COVID-19 mortality rates. Before the pandemic, the United States had one of the lowest life expectancy rates among high-income countries.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 52 – How the ASC Industry’s Growth is Improving the Surgical Process
On episode 52 of PSQH: The Podcast, Dr. Alexander Sah talks about the growth of the ambulatory surgery center market and how it’s improving the surgical process.
Healthcare Leaders React to New Cybersecurity Concerns
In this conversation with HealthLeaders, Phyllis Teater, chief information officer at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, discusses best practices and steps that healthcare organizations can take to strengthen their cybersecurity strategies.
Mandatory Hospital Sepsis Protocols Save Thousands of Lives
Sepsis develops in response to infection, and it can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. Sepsis is the leading cause of in-hospital death in the United States. More than 1.7 million Americans are diagnosed with sepsis annually.
Using Patient Acuity to Inform Care Placement
Accurately and consistently assessing patient acuity is important not only for workload balancing, but also for placing patients in the correct level of care. In many instances, low-acuity patients receive treatment in high-acuity hospitals, even though they would be better placed in another facility. Utilization review research has shown that many acute hospital bed days do not meet the criteria for an acute level of care, and a significant portion of medical emergency admissions remain in the hospital for non-acute care.
Six Strategies to Strengthen Post-COVID Infection Prevention
Many groups are laying out strategies for better mitigating disease transmission in future pandemics, ranging from the White House’s National COVID Preparedness Plan to the Rockefeller Foundation’s Roadmap for Living With COVID. Meanwhile, Dr. Tom Talbot, chief hospital epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, encourages health systems to implement practices for securing more inclusive feedback, standardizing simple practices, and gauging success.
Teaming Up to Improve Interpersonal Communication in Healthcare
Oklahoma State University teamed up with Crucial Learning to address interpersonal communication among its medical students in three main categories: assumptions of incompetence, poor teamwork, and disrespect. The effort focused on the seven most crucial conversations in healthcare, with the goal of empowering staff to better communicate with each other.