CMS updates accrediting organizations on when to pause surveys

CMS tells AOs they can put surveys on hold, if necessary. But not all AOs may change current...

Joint Commission issues alert to help nurses, healthcare workers with COVID-19 crisis

One Iowa nurse quoted in the publication explained in stark terms how the continuing onslaught of...

How Cedars-Sinai built "COVID Line Team" for busy ICUs

A volunteer “COVID Line Team” at a Los Angeles–based medical center has boosted...

Stay Centered and Carry On: PHE likely to persist through 2021!

Mac's Safety Space: In a letter to the governors, Norris Cochran, the acting secretary of HHS, indicated that it had been determined that the Public Health Emergency (PHE) will likely remain in place for the entirety of 2021, but there would also be a 60-day notification prior to the termination or expiration of the PHE.

Keyes Q&A: Hanging decorations, curling irons, valve tests, eyewash stations

Each month, Brad Keyes, CHSP, owner of Keyes Life Safety Compliance, answers your questions about life safety compliance. Follow Keyes’ blog on life safety at www.complianceonegroup.com/lifesafety for up to date information.   

Q: What does the Life Safety Code® (LSC) say for hanging decorations from the ceiling in a rural health clinic and hospital?

Q: A resident in our nursing home is asking if she can have a curling iron in her room. I told her I wasn't sure and would find out for her. What do you know about this?

Q: Do inspection tags have to be affixed to an eyewash station, or can a log in the maintenance office suffice?

---and more!

Review CDC guidance for handling of remains as surge continues

From the CDC: “The risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus from human remains outside of the autopsy setting is low; however, use standard precautions, including additional PPE if splashing of fluids is expected when handling and transporting human remains.

The CDC offers this guidance for the handling of COVID-19 patients postmortem.

Too tired to prepare for survey? Do it anyway, and here are tips

The last few months of managing a pandemic have exhausted you. But you still need to prepare for that upcoming survey, whenever it happens, whether it’s a virtual review or an on-site visit.

Start by taking a look back at your last survey report as well as last year’s environment of care committee reports to remind you what you’ve already done and especially what you might still need to resolve within the Environment of Care (EC), Life Safety (LS), and Emergency Management (EM) standards.

The Power of the Pause

The majority of laboratory injuries and exposures are preventable, and most of them occur because people are not paying close attention to the situation. They might lose their situational awareness because of a distraction, or they might have been inattentive from the start. Unfortunately, safety professionals spend a great deal of time investigating such incidents rather than working on preventing them. If the power of the pause were understood by more healthcare workers, there would be fewer dangerous incidents and exposures.

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Author Thomas J. Huser, MS, CHSP, CHEP, provides readers with:

• Analysis and compliance tips for each EC standard and element of performance (EP)
• Explanations of changes to the interpretations and scoring of the standards and EPs 
• Updated policies and procedures to comply with standards affecting all areas of the EC
• Understanding EC standards through common parlance and eliminating dry code language

Order your copy today!

Brian Ward
Editor
bward@hcpro.com


HCPro
35 Village Road, Suite 200
Middleton, MA 01949
800-650-6787
http://www.hcpro.com

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