CMS recently updated its Clinical Laboratory Amendments (CLIA) for lab work at critical access hospitals and regular hospitals. CMS surveyors will now accept primary source verification (PSV) as proof of laboratory qualification.
In February, an international task force ruled that systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) shouldn’t be used when diagnosing sepsis. However, the CMS sepsis managment bundle still uses a SIRS diagnosis as the trigger to begin sepsis treatment.
Copying and pasting information in electronic health records (EHR) is a common practice that can save busy physicians and other staff valuable time, but it can also introduce significant errors into the record. To help physicians make the most of the copy and paste function while protecting the...
CMS is calling on healthcare providers to team up with Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organizations (QIN-QIO) to support and scaling quality improvement innovations in the industry. The projects include 28 special innovation project awards totaling $8 million in prize money.
To find an inexpensive treatment to this problem, a research team conducted a study of different types of medication on 12,000 patients in 21 countries. The studies, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, looked at the use of statins, a type of cholesterol lowering drug, and...
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 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
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.
