Tucked away on the far side of mountain passes in northeast Oregon, the 25-bed critical access Grande Ronde Hospital in La Grande provides much-needed care for a populace that can be cut off from larger facilities by a single snowstorm. The hospital provides all that it can for the local...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 24, Issue 2
Every so often, an incident occurs that brings the topic of locks on patient bathroom doors back to the forefront of our minds. It truly is one of a clinician's nightmares-to know a patient needs help while he or she is in an inaccessible location.
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 24, Issue 2
The expression "many hats" has long been a phrase used to describe survey coordinators. Rare is the survey coordinator or accreditation professional who is responsible for survey preparation alone. Because accreditation touches upon all parts of the hospital's world, accreditation professionals...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 24, Issue 1
these patients find themselves in the hospital for a variety of reasons, the process of medication reconciliation continues to be a problem without a perfect solution.
Baystate Health, a healthcare system based in Springfield, Mass., saw an opportunity to increase ...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 24, Issue 1
The question comes up after every disaster: What could we have done differently? This is particularly important in the realm of emergency management, where regulations set by government agencies and accrediting bodies exist to ensure healthcare facilities are prepared for the worst-...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 24, Issue 1
Given the prevalence of Environment of Care (EC) standards appearing on this year's list of most cited standards, it should come as no surprise that The Joint Commission has focused its latest BoosterPak™ on this chapter. Interestingly, however, the three standards focused on in the...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 24, Issue 1
Last month BOJ took a close look at the top 10 most-cited standards in the past year, a list dominated by life safety and facilities issues-a full seven out of 10 standards fell under Life Safety (LS) and Environment of Care (EC) chapters. This month, let's delve a little deeper into the most-...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 23, Issue 12
The PPR process has had its fans and detractors over the years. While it frustrated some users, others found the process invaluable for continual survey readiness. But no matter which side of the fence you landed on, everyone is in for a change very soon: The Joint Commission is releasing a new...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 23, Issue 12
It's a not-uncommon theme, particularly around survey time: In what ways does seeking accreditation-through The Joint Commission, the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program, Det Norske Veritas, or elsewhere-help us improve?
