The Association for Healthcare Accreditation Professionals (AHAP), in its most recent poll of members, targeted the concept of patient flow in the emergency department (ED). Rather than follow the organization's usual benchmarking format, the poll instead used an interview-style approach,...
Mountain States Health Alliance's (MSHA) Franklin Woods Community Hospital (FWCH) in Johnson City, Tenn., is just over two years old, but it's accomplished a lot despite its young age. FWCH is already a top performer in five of six domains measured as part of the QUEST quality...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 24, Issue 7
According to national statistics, anywhere from 25% to 40% of patients in acute care settings have either a primary or secondary behavioral health diagnosis. Whether that diagnosis is a substance abuse issue or another acute or chronic psychiatric condition, steps can-and should-be taken to...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 24, Issue 7
Many hospitals find complying with regulatory and accreditation standards to be a challenge-knowing how to address deficiencies and ensure that the entire organization is prepared to do so is not something one learns in school. As a result, even an excellent hospital can find its well-being in...
Hospital readmissions are a complex problem. Now that reimbursement is affected, the issue is getting more attention, but attention on its own doesn't solve the problems that create readmissions. Rushed patient discharge, disconnects between the patient and the healthcare...
Like Franklin Woods Community Hospital (see p. 7), Sycamore Shoals Hospital (SSH) in Elizabethton, Tenn., a Mountain States Health Alliance hospital, is a participant in the QUEST collaborative. And like its sister hospital, SSH has achieved impressive results. Specifically, it...
The general public have a particular image of nursing in their heads. It's a caring individual at a patient's bedside giving medications, explaining conditions, and ensuring comfort. But, as most nurses can tell you, a more accurate picture involves searching through a supply...
Spend a few moments in any hospital and it is likely you'll encounter them-the endless beeps, sirens, alarms, and call tones that staff face every shift. We as a healthcare community have come to recognize that alarm fatigue is a real danger-everyone knows a story, either in passing or from...
A podcast from The Joint Commission on key learnings from the SSI Change Project and The Joint Commission Implementation Guide for NPSG 07.05.01 is available on The Joint Commission Website. Click the link above for more information.
