HCPro.com: Hospital Safety Center

Health care facilities face new requirements by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) this year. Is your facility ready? Be prepared with Briefings on Hospital Safety, the monthly newsletter that's full of the latest information on environment of care standards as well how to comply with other agency regulations, including OSHA and the EPA.

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July 2008 (Volume 16, Issue 7)	view entire issue

Experts offer tips to meet emergency planning rules
One thing that proved crystal clear at HCPro's Second Annual Hospital Safety Symposium is the overriding importance of emergency management to safety officers. The Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO) continues to emphasize a scalable emergency operations plan that can flex depending on the severity of the crisis at hand, said symposium keynote speaker Dean Samet, CHSP, director of regulatory compliance at Smith Seckman & Reid, Inc., based in Nashville. Joint Commission officials "want you to be able to handle little emergencies and 'Oh my God' big emergencies," said Samet, a former associate director of standards for the accreditor.

Sharpen safety practices around your hospital helipads
Helicopters offer efficient transportation for patients coming to and going from your hospital, and can be an important cog in quickly saving a life. Unfortunately, chopper landings and takeoffs present intense safety risks, too. Taking the time to assess related injury risks, review training policies, and revise safety rules can protect employees, patients, and passersby.

Corridor clutter stings, but 96-hour prep impresses
Editor's note: This survey occurred in two segments in February and March at Midland (TX) Memorial Hospital, a 320-bed acute care facility. A growing number of hospitals have reported that the life safety specialists are coming later than the main survey team-sometimes two or three weeks after. The Joint Commission has confirmed this scheduling problem occurs in some cases. That can make a survey feel like double jeopardy and force staff members to gear up for two unannounced surveys for the price of one. But for Deric Hebert, CHFM, director of facility services at Midland Memorial Hospital, having the life safety surveyor come about three weeks later was a godsend.

Talk to the IT team about emergency planning steps
As part of disaster planning, particularly the 96-hour provision under EC.4.12, you need to plan for Internet communication and network server failures. Interfacing with your hospital's information technology (IT) team will help you get a grip on how well the computer system will stand during a disaster, enabling communications, access to medical records, and even security clearance. Remember, EC.4.12 requires hospitals to evaluate their ability to remain in operation if the community can't support them for at least 96 hours.

Other recently-published articles from Hospital Safety Center:

Avoid violence in the emergency department

Hospital finds life safety, disaster prep reviews helpful

Ring in 2009 with a better emergency preparedness plan

There is a familiar feel to DNV’s safety standards

Healthcare’s "dirty little secret" can create a big security challenge

Ten tips to prepare for a surge in pediatric patients

Specialty hospital recovers after document slipups

Hospitals live through Ike and Gustav and tell you what they learned about emergency preparations

Peel apart the distinctions of the 2009 EC standards

Upcoming EtO sterilizer rule takes effect in December

Organize disaster drills with a new, free government tool

For two hospitals, moving patients to new buildings offers a chance to fine-tune their evacuation plans

Patient suicides thrust prevention into a harsh spotlight

New clarifications, changed wording create challenges in 2009 life safety chapter

Ten ways to boost the value of your safety committee

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