Holiday Decorations Can Cost a Lot If They Come With a Citation
A hospital in Kansas was cited by CMS in 2020 was cited under K-0753, the CMS K-tag for such festive adornments, for failing “to provide corridors safe from excessive combustible decorations” after a lab supply closet was spotted “completely covered with combustible decorations.”
Healthcare Leaders Share Thoughts on How Hospitals Can Invest in Workplace Safety
Incidents of workplace violence cost hospitals approximately $2.7 billion in 2016, according to a study from the American Hospital Association. Additionally, 13% of employee sick time is the result of workplace violence, according to the American Nurses Association. Workplace violence-related absenteeism can cost hospitals $53.7 million a year, according to the AHA report.
How to Manage Medical Device Supply Chain Challenges
Medical devices include a range of equipment from monitors, to IV pumps, to million-dollar magnetic resonance imaging machines. Hospitals not only need to acquire medical devices but also need to keep track of them and maintain them in good working condition.
Can Lighting Mitigate Fall Risks?
The results of a two-year study conducted by investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and MLI, published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, found a 43% reduction in resident falls at long-term care facilities that installed a tunable LED lighting system compared to control facilities that maintained standard lighting.
Review Needlestick Training After ER Nurse Acquires Monkeypox
Remind clinical staff and others about sharps safety now that the CDC has confirmed an emergency department nurse contracted monkeypox in Florida from a needlestick. It is the first healthcare-acquired monkeypox case in the United States since a public health emergency was declared earlier this year.
Revisiting Staff Respite Spaces
Offering staff and care providers a respite space where they can take a break from the demands of their role is a small gesture that greatly increases their satisfaction at work and directly affects the care they give to patients. The ability to rest and recharge promotes safer, more efficient operations, resulting in better outcomes and fewer medical errors.
TJC Tweaks EC and LS standards, Adds Specifics to Some Requirements
Review your Environment of Care (EC) and Life Safety (LS) policies and procedures now that The Joint Commission has issued another round of revisions, prepublished September 21 with an effective date of January 1, 2023. Only 12 standards are involved in this latest round. Many of the revisions add specifics to long-standing requirements, including several that add new notes under the element of performance (EP). Others are simple tweaks.
How to Reduce Hospital-Onset Clostridioides Difficile
Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) is a bacterium that causes severe diarrhea and colitis, with nearly half a million infections in the United States annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One in 11 patients over age 65 with a healthcare-associated C. diff infection die within one month, the CDC says.
Survey Time: Check Your Ice Machine Outlets, Brush Up on IC, Staff Safety
The Joint Commission (TJC) is still catching up on the surveys backlogged during the COVID-19 pandemic—but they are catching up. Be aware that you might soon be getting a notice that your survey is scheduled, although you still won’t be told an exact date because CMS requires the visits to be unannounced.
IAHSS Releases Updated Healthcare Use-of-Force Guidelines
Use of force in healthcare environments involves a variety of circumstances, including patient restraint, patient elopement, involuntary commitment, criminal incidents, and other situations, according to IAHSS officials. Naturally, healthcare security officers, whether proprietary, contracted, or law enforcement, are frequently called upon to intervene in these difficult circumstances, IAHSS officials reported.