CMS has signaled that accrediting organizations (AO) like HFAP can resume even more surveys in areas where the COVID-19 patient surge is slowing. But what will HFAP surveyors be looking for?
In late August, the oldest of the accrediting organizations released its ...
Get a firm handle on your COVID-19 case data now that a new interim final rule requires the information to be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a Medicare Condition of Participation (CoP).
When trying to procure necessary supplies during a disaster or emergency, be aware of potential fraud, document all your contracting activities, and ensure staff are trained and up-to-date on your facility’s contracting policies. These are just some of the best practices and recommendations...
As the COVID-19 surge continues through its second wave and collides with influenza season as well as hurricanes, wildfires, or whatever natural disasters the year still has in store, supply experts have a big request: Only order what your facility needs.
In the September issue, we told you about a hospital that responded quickly to threats posed after the nation learned of the 2019 novel coronavirus, but still faced a finding of immediate jeopardy (IJ) to patients and staff from CMS officials.
Keep assessing how you triage your COVID-19 and influenza patients as the flu season escalates, and include facilities management as well as clinicians and other staff in the continuing discussion. Managing both kinds of highly contagious respiratory infections will pose unique challenges,...
Modify this template of an incident command meeting agenda for your organization, to help you keep your hospital incident command system (HICS) planning on track, especially if you are managing multiple campuses.
Always being ready for survey can be one of the greatest challenges, but there are tools. In the following excerpt from HCPro’s recently published Survey Coordinator’s Handbook, 21st Edition, we offer you a look at using tracers to assess how well your team is doing on compliance.
The following information was taken from a CMS Form-2567 “Statement of Deficiencies” posted online by the federal agency under its Quality, Certification and Oversight Reports (QCOR) group.