Survey: As COVID-19 Numbers Soar, Some Nurses Don’t Have Adequate Protections
Nurses still face problems with access to testing, being notified in a timely manner when they are exposed, inadequate respiratory protection, unsafe staffing, mental health, and workplace violence, the survey reveals. Compared to results from the last survey in March 2021, RNs also reported inadequate COVID screening and testing rates for patients who enter or are admitted to a healthcare facility and a decrease in dedicated COVID units.
Jonathan Perlin Named Next President and CEO of The Joint Commission
Perlin currently is the president and clinical operations and chief medical officer at HCA Healthcare, which is based in Nashville. He replaces Mark R. Chassin, MD, FACP, MPP, MPH, who has led the commission for 14 years. Chassin has said he wants to pursue other opportunities in the quality improvement field.
Cleveland Clinic Promotes Coaching Culture for Physicians
Cleveland Clinic has two programs that provide coaching services to physicians. The Center for Excellence in Coaching and Mentoring provides physician peer-based coaching. The Mandel Global Leadership and Learning Institute (GLLI) provides non-physician coaches for physicians.
Three Tips to Empower Teamwork Focused on Infection Prevention
By Sharon Ward-Fore Surface disinfection is key to containing viral outbreaks. Fundamentally, the concept and importance of surface disinfection hasn’t changed. However, the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic on today’s world makes it imperative to change how the healthcare community conducts proper surface cleaning and disinfection. It starts with mindset – because healthcare and … Continued
COVID-19 Cost U.S. 9M Years of Life Expectancy
The COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed more than 660,000 lives in the U.S. has also cut aggregate life expectancy here by more than 9 million years, according to a study published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine. The study authors said their findings suggest that the mortality burden of COVID-19 is more substantial than previously thought.
CMS Warns Hospitals: Remember EMTALA Obligations, Particularly With Pregnant Patients
CMS issued a Quality, Safety & Oversight Group (QSO) memo Friday September 17 on “Reinforcement of EMTALA Obligations specific to Patients who are Pregnant or are Experiencing Pregnancy Loss.” The memo, QSO-21-22-Hospitals, not only reminded hospitals to “ensure all staff who may come into contact with a patient seeking emergency care are aware of the hospital’s obligation under EMTALA,” but had an express message for clinicians.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 37 – The Digital Front Door of Healthcare
On episode 37 of PSQH: The Podcast, Greg Miller of Talkdesk talks about hospital contact centers serving as the digital front door for healthcare organizations.
TJC Warns Immediate Threats to Safety ‘Spiking’ Over Single-Use Devices
Check your emergency rooms, outpatient clinics, wound care clinics, ambulatory care sites and anywhere else where pandemic-related equipment shortages have forced your facility to go outside normal supply lines for replacement medical devices.
Health Systems and Hospitals Grappling With Workforce Shortages
The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted workforce shortages at health systems and hospitals across the country. On Sept. 1, the American Nurses Association urged the federal Department of Health & Human Services to declare a nurse staffing crisis and to take immediate steps to implement solutions. Last week, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health announced that the Lebanon, New Hampshire-based health system had raised its minimum rate of pay for all positions from $14 per hour to $17 per hour to address workforce shortages.
Survey: Workers Embrace Telehealth
One-fifth of 14,000 employees from 13 nations surveyed in a poll conducted by Mercer consultants used telehealth for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic and 72% of them say they intend to keep using it. The 2021 Mercer Health on Demand survey, released this week, also detected a big bump in employee interest in other digital health options, including apps to find providers and virtual reality tools for self-care.