News Headlines | | Be sure to review any federal 1135 blanket waivers against your state's requirements to... CMS pre-published an interim final rule today that sets COVID-19 vaccine requirements for... The hazard communication standard (29 CFR 1910.1200)—sometimes referred to as the HazCom... Mac's Safety Space: At first glance, it seemed that this was more a codification of past updates, but as a I looked through the thing in its entirety, it does seem like the changes are more significant/substantive than I thought. | | |
Healthcare Life Safety Compliance | | How important is maintaining high reliability organization (HRO) principles and values during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic? Can a clinic or hospital reasonably become an HRO when dealing with a global emergency? And with the end of the pandemic on the horizon, will healthcare organizations take another shot at being an HRO or not? During the coronavirus pandemic, most hospitals, clinics, and healthcare facilities have been caught up in the day-to-day challenges of responding to the global crisis. While there are signs that the pandemic may finally be wrapping up, patient safety and emergency preparedness professionals know that other problems will emerge, such as new pandemics, natural disasters, civil unrest, or terrorism. As healthcare providers make recovery plans and prepare for the future, HRO principles must be seen as necessities rather than luxuries. That’s according to Vikki Choate, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, CPHQ, a healthcare consultant and international speaker with Huron Consulting Group, and Ken Rohde, senior consultant for patient safety and process improvement at The Greeley Company. They say that HRO principles are crucial to responding to the unexpected and caring for patients under any circumstance. | | |
Healthcare Safety Leader | | Whether you are planning for a new healthcare facility or considering renovations or improvements to existing facilities, know that the next pandemic could present even greater physical environment challenges. The time to plan is now. For more than a year, maintenance teams, facility engineers, and contractors at hospitals across the country have stepped up to do yeoman’s work in meeting infection control needs as the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) swiftly overtook healthcare. Now, as the PHE winds down, talk to your facilities and clinical staff about what new measures taken during the pandemic worked and what didn’t; consider what should be kept and what should be improved on for the next time. | | |
Medical Environment Update | | Back in 2015, New Orleans’ first-ever clinic specializing in psychosis treatment and care was opened. The Early Psychosis Intervention Clinic-New Orleans (EPIC-NOLA) was the idea of Ashley Weiss, DO, MPH, an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Tulane University School of Medicine. She and her team sought to provide sustainable, high-quality, first-episode psychosis (FEP) services to the underserved New Orleans community, which struggles with both poverty and poor access to care. By making connections with other local healthcare organizations and state agencies, EPIC-NOLA has been able to treat hundreds of patients, regardless of their insurance status, with better outcomes than other care models. EPIC-NOLA’s results and implementation were written about in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, in which study authors wrote that “although early financial analysis revealed an immediate threat to viability, EPIC-NOLA found clinical success in launching a first-episode psychosis service in an underserved area.” Out of the 50 states, Louisiana ranks 50th for per-capita funding for community mental health services and 46th in access to general medical services. A full 27% of Orleans Parish residents live below the poverty line, with a median income of $36,792. There are also many stressors in the community, such as violence, abuse, and discrimination, which negatively impact mental health. Further complicating matters is a local stigma against mental illness, particularly against psychosis patients. | | |
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Hospital Safety Newsletters | | Sign up for our monthly newsletters, and get an article each week! Healthcare Life Safety Compliance This award-winning monthly resource simplifies confusing code references so you can better protect your facility. You need Healthcare Life Safety Compliance to keep you up to date on the latest changes to the Life Safety Code (LSC), as well as The Joint Commissions Life Safety standards, NFPA codes, and related fire protection provisions to ensure the safety of patients, visitors, and employees. Hospital Safety Leader With a Hospital Safety Center membership, you?ll gain complete access to HSL, a16-page monthly publication that provides safety professionals with crucial information and clear-cut guidance on how to improve and ensure hospital safety. Medical Environment Update Keeping safety professionals up to speed with the always-changing policies of OSHA, CDC, EPA, and other healthcare regulatory agencies. Discover workplace health and safety tips written with facilities like yours in mind. | | |
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