Everyone in healthcare knows about the struggles of medication reconciliation and its impact on patient safety and care. The Joint Commission takes notice, building standards and safety goals around safe use of medication, and every facility must take the time to look at its policies and...
The hospital is a large, multifaceted organism with thousands of moving parts within dozens of units that are often separated by wings, streets, and buildings. The physical barriers, however, are nearly unmatched by the cultural ones-different techniques, opinions, and views of...
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued 10 penalties to California hospitals after investigations that found that the facilities were noncompliant with licensing requirements that caused or was likely to cause serious injury or death to their patients. Total fines were $674,...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 24, Issue 10
A new player has entered the field for hospital accreditation: The Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality (CIHQ) has received deeming authority from CMS for acute care hospitals. CIHQ joins The Joint Commission, DNV, Inc., and the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP) in this...
As of March 2013, more than 85% of eligible hospitals are participating in the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Programs, and more than 75% have received incentive payments for meaningfully using EHR technology. EHRs are the future, surely and...
The hospital is a large, multifaceted organism with thousands of moving parts within dozens of units that are often separated by wings, streets, and buildings. The physical barriers, however, are nearly unmatched by the cultural ones-different techniques, opinions, and views of...
Too many hospitals and healthcare leaders currently experience serious safety failures as routine and inevitable parts of daily work, according to an article published last week in The Milbank Quarterly. In the article, authors Mark R. Chassin, MD, FACP, MPP, MPH, president and CEO of The Joint...
Lots going on in the regulatory landscape lately—much of it potentially very beneficial to you folks out there in radioland. On August 30, the folks at CMS issued a whole new set of waivers for consideration.