As of this writing, there is a single confirmed and six presumptive cases of monkeypox reported in the U.S. While everyone hopes this is not the start of another pandemic situation—knock on wood—it is better to start reviewing your facility’s PPE, sanitation, and infection control protocols now just in case. It’s also time to get the fast facts about monkeypox. For more detailed information, visit the CDC at https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/index.html or the World Health Organization (WHO) at https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/monkeypox.

If a patient presents with a fever and vesicular/pustular rash, hospitals and other healthcare providers should be prepared to take a combination of standard, airborne, and droplet infection control precaution in case it is monkeypox, according to the CDC.

TJC issues guidance on critical shortage in imaging contrast.

I find myself frequently Googling (and re-Googling) certain topics, particularly the whole issue relative to the timing of fire drills.

The Joint Commission unveiled new and revised workplace violence prevention requirements effective January 1, 2022. Specifically, it issued three new elements of performance (EP) for existing standards and revised two other EPs.

“My message to healthcare security leaders is to read the standards and determine if they meet the intent of the standards,” says Paul Sarnese, CHPA, MAS, MSE, CAPM, immediate past president of the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety and assistant vice president for safety, security, and emergency management at Virtua Health. “Conducting an assessment is the first step to ensure compliance.” 

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in its March 2022 cybersecurity newsletter reported that throughout 2020 and 2021, hackers have targeted the healthcare industry seeking unauthorized access to valuable electronic protected health information (ePHI). 

And it’s a growing problem. The number of breaches of unsecured ePHI affecting 500 or more individuals due to hacking or IT incidents increased 45% from 2019 to 2020. Further, the number of breaches due to hacking or IT incidents accounted for 66% of all breaches affecting 500 or more individuals reported to OCR in 2020.

Patient Safety Monitor Journal spoke with Kurt Patton, MS, RPh, pharmacist, founder of Patton Healthcare Consulting, and former director of accreditation services for The Joint Commission about the impact that the conviction of RaDonda Vaught will have on healthcare.

On March 25, Vaught was convicted of gross neglect of an impaired adult and negligent homicide after mistakenly giving an elderly patient a paralyzing medication instead of a sedative, resulting in the patient’s death in 2017. The case has gained national attention, and many fear what effect criminalizing medical errors will have.

Update: On May 13, Vaught was sentenced to three years probation 

A breakdown of The Joint Commission's requirement on 96-hour sustainability in the event of an emergency.

Short of terminating a physician’s employment, appraising a physician’s performance is often the responsibility that administrative and medical staff leaders hate most.