Despite the efforts of CMS and the Department of Health and Human Services, the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) is on the rise. Between 2009 and 2013, infections linked to catheters increased by 6%, which has spurred The Joint Commission to create a new National...
Released late last month, the National Quality Forum’s (NQF) Antibiotic Stewardship in Acute Care: A Practical Playbook is broken into five core elements focused on proper antibiotic usage: Leadership commitment, accountability, drug expertise, action, and tracking.
Last year, the Joint Commission's infection control (IC) standard IC.02.02.01 had the dubious honor of being the second-most cited standard for hospitals, critical access hospitals, and ambulatory care facilities. The standard requires organizations to lower infection risks...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 27, Issue 6
As the struggle against opioid addiction rages on, The Joint Commission is facing criticism that its pain management standards are contributing to the problem.
Hospitals must implement additional measures to scope reprocessing procedures amid ongoing safety concern regarding instrumentation, according to patient safety experts. Anything less is unacceptable.
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 27, Issue 6
As the struggle against opioid addiction rages on, The Joint Commission is facing criticism that its pain management standards are contributing to the problem.
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices' (ISMP) recently released "2016?2017 Targeted Medication Safety Best Practices for Hospitals," which includes revisions to two existing best practices and five additional recommendations to reduce common medication errors.
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 27, Issue 6
The hospital accreditation landscape has grown more crowded in the last several years, but one accreditor is working to make its recent acquisition of another as seamless as possible.
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 27, Issue 6
In one of the most impressive BoosterPaks released by The Joint Commission, the accrediting body explores the ever-evolving challenges surrounding high-level disinfection and sterilization.
