Surveyors from CMS could start appearing along with survey teams from each accrediting organization as the federal agency resumes its full AO validation survey program.

The draft recommendations say female patients should be screened when they’re 40, then once every other year. The draft recommendation was issued May 9 and is open for public comment until June 5, 2023.

Critical access hospitals (CAH) that are accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC) will now have the option to create a single, unified medical staff if they are part of a multihospital system. TJC has created a new standard in the Medical Staff chapter, MS.01.01.05, which states, “Multihospital systems can choose to establish a unified and integrated medical staff in accordance with state and local laws.”

Five medical organizations have teamed up to recommend best practices for hand hygiene in healthcare settings to protect patients and providers from infection. In particular, the recommendations focus on alcohol-based hand sanitizers and the importance of healthy skin and nails.

Can you get over something that’s not over?

I think this one will be relatively brief (as I always do), so we’ll see how far this takes us…

Discuss now how your hospital wants to handle COVID-19 vaccine requirements for staff once CMS ends the mandate, which was first established in late 2021 at the height of the public health emergency (PHE).

Remember to update your facility’s list of hazardous chemicals and materials at least annually, possibly more often depending on your state and local regulations.

No single healthcare facility will beat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) alone—nor will one industry, field, or even country. To prevent a world where AMR infections become the norm requires cooperation and collaboration between healthcare organizations both foreign and domestic, and engagement in non-medical fields such as agriculture, where antibiotics are frequently used in livestock.

You can have clutter in your bedroom, your car, or your home closet, but you can’t have it in your laboratory. Hazardous chemicals can’t be stored above eye level, boxes can’t block exits, combustibles should be kept away from heat sources. Everything in a lab has a proper place, and lab workers need to ensure items go where they are supposed to go.