Summer is officially over, and the clocks will fall back an hour this upcoming weekend. It’s a time of transition as people bring out their fall clothes, enjoy spiced drinks, and ready themselves for colder weather and longer nights. It’s also time for your laboratory and staff to make the...
Historically, we generally don’t spend much time in the realm of the management of medical equipment, but when one of the primary shot-callers in the accreditation world brings attention it in the ambulatory care patient environment, it makes sense to share this information. And, taking into...
During the period dubbed “The Great Resignation,” millions of U.S. workers quit their jobs, including more than 145,000 healthcare professionals, according to a report from Definitive...
Though they can’t be seen, there are hundreds of tiny organisms living in blood and other body fluids that can cause disease in humans. These are called “bloodborne pathogens.” Some of these organisms are harmless and can be handled easily by the body’s immune system, but others can cause severe...
It comes with the territory of being the safety officer that you are responsible to make sure holiday decorations do not affect the overall safety of your facility. The Life Safety Code®, which CMS and other deeming authorities observe, generally prohibits combustible...
OSHA addresses fire safety under the General Industry Standards (29CFR1910). Facilities under construction should consult the edition of the of the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) Life Safety Code adopted by your regulating agency for more detailed information.
Safety concerns and potential for erroneous errors have made the Waived Testing (WT) chapter a common area of focus for surveyors during patient tracers. Surveyors will observe staff while performing waived testing and ask them questions about training and competency. Therefore, you will want...
As cases of COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) continue to persist and influenza season picks up, the CDC is urging hospitals to check the efficiency of their heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems.
Compared to white patients, Black patients are 42% more likely to die following high-risk surgery and Hispanic patients are 21% more likely to die. Overall, about 8,364 Black and 4,338 Hispanic excess postsurgical deaths occurred between 2000-2020. To eliminate the disparity in mortality by 2030...
Well (at least up here in the Northeast), it appears that the cooling season is rapidly changing over to the heating season and, (so it would seem) the advocacy season is heating up as well.
Late last week, the combined forces of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-...
