The Institute for Healthcare Improvement recently announced that 7,000 healthcare professionals around the world have earned the organization’s Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) credential. PSMJ sat down with Patricia McGaffigan of IHI to ask her about the...
For those of you keeping tabs on the regulatory landscape, you might already know that the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) has initiated a new standard—ST108—that defines levels of water quality suitable for various stages of medical device processing, with the...
The Accreditation Commission for Health Care, Inc. (ACHC) announced the release of its revised manuals for Stroke Care Certification in May. These updates are designed to reflect the latest standards of practice, improve clarity, enhance flow, and reduce redundancy. The revisions also offer...
Looking back on what was new and announced by The Joint Commission (TJC) and CMS during this year so far, there is a laundry list as usual. Among others, Kurt Patton, MS, RPh, founder and president emeritus of Patton Healthcare Consulting, cites two particular developments.
Recently, I’ve seen some survey activity that prompts me to chat a little bit about essential electrical systems (EES) and to provide you with a source of information in that regard. The survey findings have related to the connection of inappropriate equipment to a branch of the EES or an...
OSHA has finalized a rule amending the Representatives of Employers and Employees regulation. This amendment clarifies that during OSHA inspections, employee representatives may include third-party individuals who are not employees of the employer. Such third-party representatives can accompany...
We continue our conversation with Jennifer Cowel, RN, MHSA, president of Patton Healthcare Consulting and Barrins & Associates and a former Joint Commission nurse surveyor and director of service operations, about the apparent increase in the number of adverse outcomes and complaint surveys...
The only thing less enjoyable than a complaint survey is a second complaint survey for the same issue. IAQ spoke with Jennifer Cowel, RN, MHSA, president of Patton Healthcare Consulting and Barrins & Associates and a former Joint Commission nurse surveyor and director of service operations,...
Clinics in rural and underserved communities can now apply for The Joint Commission’s (TJC) new Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Accreditation Program as of July 1. The program aims to help organizations improve the safety and quality of primary care and personal health services provided to those...
Despite the danger to patients and repeated citations from CMS and other accreditors, many healthcare organizations still struggle to properly perform high-level disinfection (HLD) of medical equipment, says Rachelle Babin, MBA, BSN, RN, CEC, CMMT, certified executive coach and consultant at...
