After years of changing and adding new Conditions of Participation (CoP), CMS has finally updated its only guidance for surveyors, State Operations Manual, Appendix A (SOM). But not entirely.

Since enabling physicians to use the technology, Cooper University Health Care reports that 85% of patients found their physician more personable and conversational. Clinicians using DAX have seen a 70% reduction in feelings of burnout and fatigue, as well as up to 50% time saved per patient per clinical note

On August 10, the CDC released its latest provisional suicide estimates for 2022, showing suicide deaths on the rise. There were approximately 49,499 suicide deaths in 2022, or 1,316 more than in 2021. For perspective, the country of Greenland is home to 56,000 people.

Drug shortages are near a 10-year high, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). Drug shortages can have an impact on patient care, including drug rationing, delays in care, and cancellation of treatment. Drug shortages also affect pharmacy costs in terms of labor expenses and drug purchasing costs.

Some thoughts and lessons learned from the 2023 ASHE Conference, held in San Antonio, Texas. 

A new CMS Quality, Safety & Oversight group memo on suicide prevention urges hospitals to go above and beyond to help protect patients from themselves. Accrediting organizations like ACHC and TJC cite resources and offer tools to help.

Before your next survey, remember to double check your hand sanitizer policies and placement for post-COVID requirements.

While the term might invoke images of restaurants, hotels, and store clerks rather than healthcare, customer service is about working with stressed, unhappy, or potentially violent customers/patients to solve their problems and de-escalate situations. 

August is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, and while hopefully your laboratory staff aren’t children, they should know the protocols for eye protection when dealing with hazardous materials. American workers experience 2,000 eye-related injuries every day, a third of which require a trip to the emergency room. For those in a lab setting, constant handling and use of chemical and biological substances increases the likelihood of exposure and harm.