More and more hospital surveys may be onsite, depending on conditions

As COVID-19 cases go down, your odds for on onsite reaccreditation survey might go up. While...

OSHA HazCom updates include labeling, SDS requirements

On February 16, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed an update to...

Study: Half of hospitalized coronavirus patients have symptoms 4 months after discharge

Many coronavirus patients hospitalized with severe acute respiratory infection experience...

Doing the waive: Categorical waivers are still in the mix…

Mac's Safety Space: In preparation for last week’s missive on the transmission of fire alarm signals during fire drills (more on that in a moment), I ran across a CMS categorical waiver that was posted early last fall

Math can be tricky: TJC corrects ABHR storage requirement

Update your policies on the storage of alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) to reflect an update to The Joint Commission (TJC) Life Safety standard LS.02.01.30, EP 6.

The standard requires hospitals to provide and maintain building features to protect against fire and smoke. The update involves a “measurement conversion,” according to TJC.

Air control equals infection control

Internal air quality (IAQ) might not immediately come to mind when one thinks of infection control, but it is a crucial component. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) says in its Position Document on Infectious Aerosols that “now that microbiologists understand that many pathogens can travel through both contact and airborne routes, the role of indoor air management has become critical to successful [infection] prevention efforts.”

“The risk of pathogen spread, and therefore the number of people exposed, can be affected both positively and negatively by the airflow patterns in a space and by heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) and local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems.”

CMS still not happy with AOs' performance, wants tougher findings

Expect accrediting organizations (AO) to get even tougher on problems found within the physical environment after yet another critical CMS report to Congress about the agency’s oversight of AOs.

CMS also expressed concerns again about missed findings under Infection Control and Governing Body Conditions of Participation (CoP).

Report to Congress: Validation surveys overhaul will go forward

CMS announced in 2019 that, in an attempt to address complaints that hospital surveys to validate findings by accreditation organizations (AO) were done too long after the fact and that facilities were faced with double survey duty, it would test a program to conduct its work at the same time AOs were on-site.

Consider telehealth options for deaf patients, with follow up plan

Providers are required to help patients with hearing issues understand their treatment, and experts point out that the shift to telemedicine can help — or potentially complicate — the process, depending on how you approach it.

Civil rights laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandate that health care providers make accommodations for patients who have trouble understanding the provider’s communications. More recently, a number of 2019 enforcement activities by the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) serve as a reminder that this applies to deaf or hard-of-hearing patients as well as those with limited English proficiency (LEP).

Emphasize self-care and offer help to staff facing COVID trauma

As COVID-19 and the rest of this year’s chaos continues to take its toll on your hospital, set up ways for your staff to let off steam, meditate for a few minutes, or just find some peace and quiet. And remember to help them grieve. Think about setting up a place online or in your facility to honor colleagues lost to the pandemic.

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Life safety expert and independent consultant Brad Keyes, CHSP, provides a practical, strategic approach to the life safety survey process. He walks you through a room-by-room, floor-by-floor analysis of the life safety measures you must have in place to avoid costly citations. The book simplifies Joint Commission standards and CMS requirements and focuses on ways to pass your next life safety survey.

This book will provide readers with:

• A floor-by-floor analysis to help all staff better prepare for a life safety survey
• Expert analysis by a life safety expert with experience in multiple accrediting organizations as well as CMS
• Photos illustrating where citations can happen to help you better understand potential trouble spots during survey
• Tools and tips for more efficient survey preparation

Order now! 

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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