Newsletter Articles As medications have grown increasingly powerful and healthcare workers have grown increasingly aware of the hazards some drugs pose, regulators and stakeholders have been looking for ways to improve safe-handling practices. While a number of guidelines and recommendations in the past have set expectations already for handling, transporting, and disposing of potentially harmful drugs, the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) aims to make a significant improvement next year with the implementation of its ambitious contribution known as General Chapter <800>. Twice this year, CMS placed a Missouri hospital in immediate jeopardy of losing its Medicare funding after inspectors found problems with the way the facility was handling cases of possible abuse and neglect. Some of the incidents in question involved the use of restraint and seclusion, so take this story as a reminder to revisit when and how often your staff are trained in the relevant policies and procedures, and consider adding or increasing de-escalation training to help ensure that patient rights are respected. Considering the increasing number of regulations and technical elements that must be managed to operate a hospital these days, it should come as no surprise that facility managers have had to keep pace with job descriptions that are constantly evolving. Marketing Spotlight The Healthcare Disaster Exercises Toolkit is your go-to resource for planning emergency disaster exercises. Use the scenarios and templates to conduct exercises for your healthcare organization, carry out hazard vulnerability analyses, design victim profiles, and evaluate the effectiveness of your training. Editor's Pick October 5, 2017 Is All of Your Team In The Know? Our weekly e-newsletters can keep your team abreast of up-to-date industry information; including expert analysis where you need it most. Subscribe to any -- or all -- of our e-newsletters. |