Leapfrog leader pushes for adoption of expanded medical error policy

Source: Hospital Safety Insider

Hospitals need to hold themselves accountable when errors lead to catastrophic consequences for patients, the leader of a national quality and safety organization says.

New sentinel event alert highlights risks of direct oral anticoagulants

Source: Hospital Safety Insider

The Joint Commission (TJC) this week issued a new Sentinel Event Alert (SEA #61) warning of the risks to patients posed by direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC).

Maybe there’s a hole in there somewhere: Keeping your critical equipment running!

Source: Mac's Safety Space

An interesting line of questioning is emerging in some recent survey activity (mostly during state visits, but the accreditation organizations are moving in this direction, particularly those with a focus on ISO processes) relates to the management of “high mortality” utility systems components, particularly emergency power supply system parts. 

Large earthquakes rattle California hospitals, while the bill to keep them open grows larger

A new study warns that retrofitting California’s hospitals to withstand large earthquakes may cost billions of dollars more than thought. Meanwhile, a series of large temblors recently occurred in the southern part of the state, showing why those changes are needed.

Beware the bio slime: Legionella problems can lurk even in new 

Barely a month after opening in late April, the Mount Carmel Grove City hospital outside Columbus, Ohio, began battling an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease (LD) and now faces at least five lawsuits, including one from the family of a woman who died. 

Think carefully before using security officers to monitor high-risk patients

If your hospital is considering using its security officers or police as sitters for patients at high risk of self-harm, make sure the conversation includes the need for resources to ensure the officers are trained and can show competency in CMS requirements regarding appropriate seclusion and restraint (S/R). They also should fully understand their role as a one-on-one observer.

Probably the best practice, however, is not to use them at all, say experts.

Back to school: Teach employees safety rules by following the rules of the classroom

As a healthcare safety professional, you be thinking on the same level as a classroom teacher, because safety should never become stagnant—it should be a constant presence in your clinic. And because employees come and go, you will always be teaching new staff the ways of your workplace.

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The CMS Compliance Crosswalk, 2019 Edition

A new edition of HCPro’s highly regarded accreditation crosswalk is here! The CMS Compliance Crosswalk, 2019 Edition, shows you how to comply with each Condition of Participation (CoP) set forth by CMS and highlights which requirements from The Joint Commission and other accrediting organizations correspond to individual CoPs.

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Brian Ward
Editor
bward@hcpro.com


HCPro
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