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.
One PHE Declared as Another is On Its Way Out—Maybe
On August 4, two days after appointing a national monkeypox response team, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra declared the infectious disease a U.S. public health emergency (PHE). Cases are now being reported in all U.S. states and some territories.
CMS Revised Guidance Offers Nursing Homes Flexibility in Nurse Aide Training
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a revised guidance that will provide waivers to allow nursing homes to continue certifying TNAs beyond the deadline to keep staffing at safer levels. In the early days of the COVID-10 pandemic, CMS enacted several temporary public health emergency blanket waivers intended to provide healthcare providers needed flexibility to respond to the pandemic.
4 Hot Topics at HealthLeaders Chief Medical Officer Exchange
The HealthLeaders Exchange program features peer-to-peer interactions to address industry challenges. The intimate conference format of small-group breakout sessions encourages open conversation and deep networking.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 60 – Using Reminders to Boost COVID Vaccination Rates
On episode 60 of PSQH: The Podcast, Jeff Gartland, CEO of Relatient, talks about using technological reminders to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates.
Home Caregiver Engagement Pivotal in Patients’ Care Transitions
Several earlier studies have shown negative impacts on adults with chronic conditions during healthcare transitions. About 26% of these patients experience emergency department visits, 18% experience rehospitalizations, 66% experience adverse drug events, and 81% experience medication discrepancies.
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.
Nursing Homes Found to be Underreporting Pressure Ulcers
For hospital admissions claims with pressure ulcers as the primary diagnosis, 22.4% of them weren’t reported by the nursing homes. For those claims with pressure ulcers as the secondary diagnosis, 45% of them weren’t reported by the nursing homes.
Top Hospitals Recognized for Consumer Loyalty, Patient Experience Excellence
NRC Health, a national consumer research corporation, announced the winners of its annual consumer loyalty and patient experience awards this week. Each year, the organization conducts surveys and gathers data on net promoter scores (NPS) to pick the winners of the Consumer Loyalty Awards and the Excellence in Patient Experience Awards (formerly known as the Excellence Awards).
New Substance Abuse Partnership Aims to Reduce Unnecessary 911 Transports
Bicycle Health, a San Francisco-based provider of virtual opioid addiction treatments, in joining forces with Tele911 to develop a platform that helps first responders direct patients with substance abuse issues to the appropriate resources. The service is designed to replace the standard practice of transporting those patients to the hospital for treatment.