Post-Pandemic: Be Prepared to Explain How You’re Going to Catch Up
All accreditation organizations as well as CMS are working on backlogs of surveys delayed by the public health emergency (PHE) declared in March. Waivers will no longer be allowed once that PHE is lifted. As many facilities have had their hands full with patient surges from COVID-19, the illness caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus, they’ll have work to do to ensure their environment of care is brought up to speed.
CMS Approves Merger of HFAP with Accreditation Commission for Health Care
HFAP standards and certification requirements will stay the same and it will continue to operate under the HFAP name as a brand within ACHC, according to information released by both organizations October 20.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 14 – Infection Prevention During a Pandemic
On episode 14 of PSQH: The Podcast, host Jay Kumar talks to LRC Systems founder and CEO Dr. Shailesh Date about how U.S. hospitals have responded to COVID-19, what to expect as we enter flu season, thoughts about a potential vaccine, and the threat of co-infections. This episode is part of PSQH’s celebration of International Infection Prevention Week and is brought to you by Angelini Pharma and GOJO, the inventors of Purell.
Improving Hand Hygiene Requires a Multi-Modal Approach
The key to implementing a winning hand hygiene strategy is to take a multimodal approach. Combining direct observation, just-in-time coaching and an electronic compliance monitoring system are effective solutions.
Hospital Admissions Bounce Back, But Still Below Pre-Pandemic Levels
Using electronic medical record data gleaned from Epic Health Research Network, the KFF researchers looked at total hospital admissions and non-COVID-19 admissions by patient sex, age, and region to calculate the actual admissions as a share of total predicted admissions for 2020 based on past trends.
How to Understand and Utilize the EPA’s “N” List
The EPA’s “N” List can be your adversary or your ally. Learn how it is compiled, how best to search it, and where EPA lists can help you most.
United States Faring Poorly in Coronavirus Deaths
The United States has led the world in reported coronavirus deaths. As of Oct. 15, more than 221,000 Americans had died of COVID-19, according to worldometer. The country with the next highest death count was Brazil at more than 150,000.
Mortality Data Supports Placing Seriously Ill Coronavirus Patients on ECMO
The co-authors of the recent research article wrote that the study provides “provisional support” for using ECMO to treat coronavirus patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. “In ECMO-supported patients with COVID-19 and characterized as having ARDS, estimated in-hospital mortality 90 days after ECMO initiation was 38.0%, consistent with previous mortality rates in non-COVID-19 ECMO-supported patients with ARDS and acute respiratory failure.”
OSHA Issues Temporary Guidance on PAPR Enforcement
OSHA instructed compliance safety and health officers to exercise discretion in response to ongoing respirator shortages during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
One in Five Younger Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19 Require Intensive Care
The Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers used the Premier Healthcare Database to look at clinical records from 419 hospitals that treated 3,222 hospitalized COVID-19 patients aged 18-34.
Patients with cardiovascular risk factors represented 37% of the young people hospitalized, while 24.5% of patients had obesity and morbid obesity, 18.2% had diabetes and 16% had hypertension.