CMS has released its 2015 Report to Congress, which takes a look at the review, validation, and oversight of the activities of approved accreditation organizations (AO), both Medicare accreditation programs and CLIA accreditation programs.
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 27, Issue 4
How do you tell a good hospital from a bad one? The answer used to hinge on who you asked, with every health insurer, government organization, and accreditation agency providing their own unique method of measuring and reporting quality. The result has been a mishmash of...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 27, Issue 4
The Joint Commission has proposed a National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) that highlights pediatric Computed Tomography (CT) imaging. Children are generally more susceptible to the effects of radiation than adults, and The Joint Commission hopes to establish evidence-based...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 27, Issue 4
How do you help patients who want to harm themselves?
The Joint Commission addressed this question in February with Sentinel Event Alert 56, which focuses on finding the root causes of patient suicides and how to prevent them. Between 2010 and 2014, The Joint...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 27, Issue 4
CMS surveys have become a regular occurrence for many hospitals in the U.S. Over the past five years, CMS has reported more than 18,000 deficiencies, and many hospitals are seeing multiple surveys each year. It is crucial that facilities take a proactive approach to achieving...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 26, Issue 3
ECRI Institute has revealed its top 10 list of health technology hazards for 2016, and for those of us working in patient safety and quality, few if any should come as a surprise.
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 26, Issue 3
In 2012, The Joint Commission's tobacco cessation performance measure set took effect, encouraging hospitals to improve their efforts to convince patients to stop smoking. Used in the accreditor's ORYX performance measurement program, the measures are part of an industrywide...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 26, Issue 3
A good job is its own reward, but that doesn't mean recognition isn't appreciated. Last year, 1,043 hospitals (31.5% of those analyzed) were recognized by The Joint Commission's Top Performer on Key Quality Measures® program. Inclusion on the top performers' list is a huge...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 26, Issue 3
This is an opinion, written by someone who in the interest of full disclosure is a director of patient experience and worked for the Studer Group. I am sick and tired of recently reading so many articles articulating the pervasive thought that patient satisfaction is ruining healthcare.
