Well, not strictly speaking—I’m pretty sure we’ve been working on preparedness in the ambulatory care settings for a while now. I suspect that this is more of a recalibration to ensure that all applicable elements of the CMS Emergency Preparedness Final Rule are clearly accounted for in all the accreditation programs. I suppose it also represents an opportunity for additional survey findings specific to the setting. Isn’t that a joy to consider?!?

Cybersecurity never sleeps. A recent major report on the topic, published in November, comes from the U.S. government’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). This report is particularly significant due to the high value of protected health information (PHI), the critical nature of patient-focused services, and the increasing sophistication of threat actors in exploiting vulnerabilities within the sector.

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) are being reminded of the importance of having complete documentation in patients’ medical records.

Make strategic use of alternate equipment management (AEM) plans to streamline your facility’s workload and eliminate unnecessary testing, suggests Richard L. Parker, CHFM, CLSS-HC, FACHE, FASHE, associate director of life safety and physical environment for the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC).

Last week we asked about your perfect dream laboratory—but there is a reason we called it a dream. Most healthcare organizations can’t afford to build new laboratories from the ground up and instead have to work within their existing spaces the best they can. Space itself can be a major stumbling block, says Dan Scungio, MT(ASCP), SLS, a laboratory safety officer for multihospital system Sentara Healthcare in Virginia.