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Accreditation Connection

This e-mail newsletter delivers the latest weekly accreditation news, analysis, and advice for any healthcare professional involved in CMS (formerly HCFA), JCAHO, or other survey preparation-in any setting.

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Accreditation Connection

Issue 52, December 19, 2007

• WHO patient safety collaborative seeks comments on safety solutions

  The World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Patient Safety and the WHO World...

• WHO patient safety collaborative seeks comments

  The World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Patient Safety and the WHO World...

• HFAP receives renewed deeming authority from CMS

  The Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP) of the American Osteopathic Assocation has...

• Report: States have improved disaster preparedness

  The Trust for America's Health has released a report, Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health...

• Ernest Amory Codman Award application available online

  The Joint Commission has announced that applications for the annual Ernest Amory Codman Award is...

• BOJ survey looks at readers’ RFI concerns

  BOJ recently invited its readers to discuss RFIs received during their most recent Joint Commission...

Issue 51, December 13, 2007

• Provision of Care revisions open for field review

  The Joint Commission has opened proposed revisions to the Patient Rights and Responsibilities and...

• Editor’s note:

  Accreditation Connection will not be published the week of December 24, 2007. It will return to its...

• Report: Large percentage of physicians do not report peer errors

  According to a report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, many doctors often do not report medical...

• Joint Commission seeks comments on LS chapter field review

  The Joint Commission has posted the proposed Life Safety Chapter for Ambulatory Care, Behavioral...

• Texas hospital to screen incoming patients for MRSA

  A Texas-based hospital intends to spend $1 million per year to screen every incoming patient for...

• Study finds nurses at risk due to chemical exposure in hospitals

  Nurses face long-term health risks to both themselves and their children due to exposure to...

• Cash-strapped hospital faces loss of accreditation

  Joint Commission inspectors arrived the same day the board of directors for Atlanta-based Grady...

• CMS adds hospital-acquired conditions information to Web site

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has added a page to its Web site additional...

• AMA supports industry shift on physician performance measurement

  The American Medical Association (AMA) released a statement this week favoring improved initiatives...

• C-suite takes active role in survey process

  During compliance group meetings at Altru Health System in Grand Forks, ND, you will encounter an...

• IA hospital weathers visit from CMS surveyors

  University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics’ (UIHC) staff members are accustomed to Joint...

Issue 50, November 30, 2007

• Overuse of CT scans may increase risk of cancer

  Columbia University researchers have found evidence that physicians may be ordering too many CT...

• Q&A with Mark R. Chassin, MD

  In August, The Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO) announced its choice of successor as president of...

• Rhode Island Hospital fined for third wrong-site surgery case

  Rhode Island Hospital has been fined $50,000 by the Rhode Island health department following the...

• Adenovirus infection manifests in three states

  According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), four states have...

• Joint Commission seeks feedback on Effective Communications standards

  The Joint Commission is currently requesting feedback on proposed revisions to the Patient Rights...

Issue 49, November 21, 2007

• Joint Commission seeks comments on Patient Rights and Responsibilities standard

  The Joint Commission is accepting comments on proposed revisions to the Patients Rights and...

• Massachusetts hospitals will not charge for preventable errors

  The Massachusetts Hospital Association (MHA) announced that the state's hospitals will not charge...

• In age of MRSA, hand hygiene remains an issue at hospitals

  Preventing the spread of infections in hospitals requires a balance between blaming malfunctioning...

• Tracers, Universal Protocol focus in survey

  Patient tracers have become a primary tool for surveyors during unannounced surveys, making the use...

Issue 48, November 16, 2007

• Joint Commission releases annual report, finds national improved quality

  Noticeable improvements have been made in the areas of heart attacks and heart failure, pneumonia...

• Hospital vying for trauma center designation receives conditional accreditation

  Methodist Hospital, which is currently competing with Kaiser Permanente for designation as a Level...

• Outpatient measures released to satisfy ORYX performance measure requirements

  The Joint Commission Board of Commissioners has added seven hospital outpatient measures to...

• Case focuses on patient restraint

  An Illinois hospital is headed back to court for allegedly violating its own patient restraint...

• Patients’ plan of care helps comply with PC.4.10

  A patient’s plan for care should give any caregiver who reads it an idea of what that...

Issue 47, November 9, 2007

• Operating room fires more common than expected

  New data reports that fires during surgery are more common than previously assumed, according to...

• Ernest Amory Codman Awards announced

  The Joint Commission has announced the recipients of the 11th Annual Ernest Amory Codman Award. The...

• CMS launches HCA and POA Indicator Web site

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have announced the launch of its...

• Hospital sold as it faces losing accreditation

  Greater Southeast Community Hospital of Washington, DC was sold on November 11. The hospital, which...

• Highlights and hot topics from Executive Briefings

  Although this year’s Executive Briefings provided audiences with a chance to interact with...

Issue 45, November 2, 2007

• Medical error leads center to reexamine procedures

  The death of a three-year-old boy due to an overdose of a substance used for testing growth hormone...

• Physician hopes new device will prevent wrong site surgery

  A Washington University School of Medicine physician has developed a system he believes will be the...

• Joint Commission announces new disease-specific care certification program

  The Joint Commission is now accepting applications for its new certification program in...

• Half-dozen countries discuss WHO's 'High 5s'

  Representatives from Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the...

• The evolution of mock survey tracers

  For facilities that had their most recent announced Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO) survey in...

Issue 44, October 26, 2007

• Testing patients for MRSA could wipe out bug

  Consumer advocates are urging hospitals to test all new patients for a dangerous staph infection...

• Medical errors still problem for Boston-area hospitals

  Although efforts to curb medical errors have been a focal point for more than 10 years in the...

• Senators unhappy with VA response to quality of care at IL VAMC

  Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Barack Obama (D-IL) of Illinois issued a statement this week...

• CMS to make no changes to clinical trial policy

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced this week that it will make no...

• Hospital continues to focus on medication management

  Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital in Charleston, SC, had an unannounced three-day survey in...

Issue 43, October 19, 2007

• Joint Commission Wiki to include collaborative standards development

  The Joint Commission's WikiHealthCare application has been expanded to include collaborative...

• Patient perception a problem with medication reconciliation

  A study by Northwestern University demonstrates a need for future research to address patients...

• Building conditions lead to denial of accreditation for DC hospital

  A survey by The Joint Commission found building conditions so poor in Greater Southeast Community...

• AHA criticizes MS.1.20 revisions

  The American Hospital Association (AHA) issued a statement on October 18 regarding concerns by a...

• Hand hygiene guidelines expanded to include World Health Organization standards

  The Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO) has expanded its requirement for hand hygiene by allowing...

Issue 42, October 12, 2007

• Deeming authority back on OIG Work Plan in 2008

  The Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General has included in its 2008 Work Plan a...

• Pain treatment remains challenge for hospitals

  The balancing act between treating pain and avoiding addiction remains a struggle, according to the...

• Doctors need flu vaccine, too

  Hospitals are trying everything from bribing employees with food to forcing them to wear face masks...

• AHAP offers accreditation professional salary survey

  Eighty percent of healthcare accreditation professionals earn at least $60,000 per year, according...

• Set schedule, adequate documentation vital to compliance with fire safety standard

  Staying up to date with EC.5.40, which requires hospitals to maintain "fire-safety equipment and...

Issue 41, October 5, 2007

• Bush vetoes SCHIP bill

  President George Bush vetoed the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill...

• Joint Commission upgrades quality site

  The Joint Commission has updated its Quality Check ® Web site with additional listings of...

• CMS accepting comments on FI performance standards

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced this week in the Federal Register...

• Study examines screening for pain in primary care setting

  Six years ago, The Joint Commission determined that pain is the "fifth vital sign" and began...

• Publicly released survey results increase transparency

  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston recently did what has been considered...

Issue 40, September 28, 2007

• Joint Commission expands healthcare Wiki to include certifications

  The Joint Commission has expanded its pilot phase of its WikiHealthCare page to include "a...

• California hospital quits smoking cold turkey

  Some facilities face pushback from employees as campus-wide bans go into effect, as Sutter Medical...

• Hospital focuses on hazmat while complying with preparedness standards

  Porter Medical Center of Middlebury, VT, has begun including hazard materials drills--complete with...

• Franklin Award nominations sought

  The American Case Management Association and The Joint Commission are currently accepting...

• Standard MS.1.20 revisions approved

  Change is in the air: The Joint Commission recently announced that its Board of Commissioners has...

Issue 38, September 21, 2007

• Proposed revisions to EC chapter open for comment

  The Joint Commission has posted proposed revisions to the Management of the Environment of Care...

• No more ties for doctors in England

  Hospitals in the United Kingdom, in an effort to combat the spread of hospital-born infections...

• NQF announces Eisenberg award recipients

  The National Quality Forum and The Joint Commission have announced the 2007 John M. Eisenberg...

• Report: Hospital comparison sites inconsistent

  Publicly available Web sites intended to compare hospital performance data have been found to...

• Revised standards designed to align with CMS

  The Joint Commission recently announced revisions to four accreditation standards that hospitals...

Issue 37, September 14, 2007

• Joint Commission requests feedback on MM and HR standards

  The Joint Commission (formerly known as JCAHO) is currently seeking feedback on proposed revisions...

• Joint Commission healthcare wiki launched

  The Joint Commission has launched a wiki application, WikiHealthCare, to allow healthcare...

• APR clarified for physicians reporting concerns

  New rules announced by The Joint Commission protect physicians and medical staff members from...

• New VAD certification program launched

  A certification program for hospitals performing ventricular assist device (VAD) surgery is now...

• California hospital relies on training, preparedness for a successful unannounced survey

  On a Monday morning in June, a staff member at Loma Linda (CA) University Medical Center (LLUMC...

Issue 36, September 7, 2007

• HSRA releases new guidance for emergency management expectations

  The Health Resources and Services Administration has released new guidelines for addressing...

• Joint Commission publishes Q and A with new president

  The Joint Commission has published a question-and-answer interview with incoming president Mark R...

• Medical center inspected following reports of understaffing, patient care and safety issues

  According to Southwest Texas LIVE!, Val Verde Regional Medical Center (VVRMC) received a visit by a...

• Planning, relationship-building help to comply with NPSG targeting patient handoffs

  Planning, relationship-building help to comply with NPSG targeting patient handoffs Improving...

• Collaboration, staying current with policies important in complying with PC.2.120

  Conducting an initial assessment in a hospital-specified time frame should be straightforward, says...

Issue 35, September 3, 2007

• Researchers recommend expanding 'do-not-use' lists

  The Washington Post reports that a study, published in the September 2007 Joint Commission Journal...

• Joint Commission International releases update hospital standards

  The Joint Commission International (JCI) announced revisions to its international accreditation...

• Technological advances increase accuracy, frustration

  The Baltimore Sun reports that technological advances in hospitals from robots to hand-held devices...

• Stroke centers and improved outcomes

  Joint Commission-accredited stroke centers have better outcomes for stroke victims--if the signs of...

• Surgical site marking: Standardization key in preventing errors

  Approximately five years ago, the healthcare industry began experiencing an increase in reporting...

Issue 34, August 27, 2007

• More facilities offer apologies after medical errors

  More healthcare organizations are looking towards a culture of honesty and incorporating apologies...

• Medicare will not pay for treatment for preventable errors

  According to a new rulebook published by CMS, Medicare will no longer pay for treatments associated...

• Pain medication usage has almost doubled in the last decade

  According to an analysis conducted by the Associated Press, use of painkillers is nearly twice what...

• Pharmacist indicted after lethal chemotherapy dose

  A former Cleveland-based pharmacist faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide...

• Prohibiting 'do not use' abbreviations on all documentation is the safest way to success

  Although they don't add any new requirements for hospitals, the NPSG FAQs addressing NPSG #2B...

Issue 33, August 20, 2007

• Bill could end Joint Commission's deeming authority

  Under a recently approved House Bill, Joint Commission-accredited hospitals would no longer...

• BIDMC posts Joint Commission survey results

  As mentioned in CEO Paul Levy's blog previously, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has posted...

• Joint Commission receives WHO contract for testing ICPS

  The Joint Commission announced earlier this week it has been awarded a World Health Organization...

• Joint Commission seeks comments on FAQs

  The Joint Commission is seeking comments on its Standards Frequently Asked Questions section of its...

• Nursing assessment, care planning, and education are crucial components to improving patient care

  Your hospital's nursing assessment, care planning, and education should be coordinated to tell the...

Issue 32, August 13, 2007

• DNV moves toward obtaining deeming authority from CMS

  DNV, Inc., announced this week the purchase of TUV Healthcare Specialists to create DNV Healthcare...

• Illiteracy affects mortality rates

  A San Antonio-based University Health System clinic has developed a set of pictograms to help...

• Rhode Island hospital investigated after second wrong-site surgery error

  The Joint Commission is reviewing a Rhode Island hospital's guidelines for preventing wrong-site...

• 'America's Best Hospitals' list raises question of data availability

  The 2007 list of "America's Best Hospitals" has raised questions about information that is not...

• Patient safety, med management, and communication comprised majority of hospital's recent survey

  During Northwestern Memorial Hospital's five-day unannounced survey this past spring, surveyors...

Issue 31, August 6, 2007

• Joint Commission announces new president

  The Joint Commission announced this week the appointment of Mark R. Chassin, MD, MPP, MPH, as its...

• New executive director and director of home care accreditation appointed

  The Joint Commission announced two additional appointments this week: Debra Zak, Ph.D., RN, as...

• CMS posts final national coverage determination for use of ESA in cancer and related conditions

  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced this week its final national...

• New NSPGs include anticoag therapy, responding to unexpected deterioration

  At the end of June, The Joint Commission released its changes to the 2008 National Patient Safety...

Issue 30, July 30, 2007

• Nursing home patient's release prompts review of hospital procedures

  A nursing home patient was discharged from the hospital following medical tests, but never returned...

• PA bill takes aim at preventing staph infections

  New legislation, signed into law this month by Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell, will require...

• Labeling meds an issue outside the operating room

  After the largest decline in compliance of any NPSG from 2006 to the first quarter of 2007, the...

• CMS survey finds contractors highly rated

  The Medicare Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey, conducted by the Centers for Medicare...

Issue 29, July 23, 2007

• Massachusetts EDs straining to care for psychiatric patients

  Recent criticism of how Massachusetts ERs treat their psychiatric patients has led to a state...

• Strategic recommendations for more effective disaster preparedness

  A coalition of 18 health organizations has issued a report detailing 53 recommendations to improve...

• Joint Commission study: Medical errors lead to stress for physicians

  According to a study published in the August issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and...

• Take a time-out to look at your Universal Protocol plan

  During a March press conference to discuss the report Improving America's Hospitals: A Report on...

• Take a time-out to look at your Universal Protocol plan

  During a March press conference to discuss the report Improving America's Hospitals: A Report on...

• Study: JC-accredited hospitals found to be teeming with bacteria

  A study conducted by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America found a lack of hygiene in...

Issue 28, July 16, 2007

• AHA launches Web site to prevent healthcare-related budget cuts

  The American Hospital Association has created a Web site that allows both healthcare providers and...

• Push for online hospital quality data means some Web sites better than others

  "Transparency" is the recent healthcare buzzword, with many hospitals posting quality data on...

• Joint Commission revises MS.1.20

  On July 10, The Joint Commission (formerly known as JCAHO) announced a revision to its MS.1.20...

• Pay-for-performance groups improve diabetes care while lowering costs

  Physician groups that are part of a pay-for-performance Medicare trial met performance goals after...

• Low number of surgeries puts hospital's heart transplant program at risk

  One of three South Central Texas heart transplant programs risks losing federal funding after The...

Issue 27, July 9, 2007

• The Joint Commission announces 2008 National Patient Safety Goals for different

  On July 2, The Joint Commission released its 2008 National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG) for...

• CMS proposes 2008 payment plan for physicians

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 2 proposed a physician payment plan...

• Emergency room visits up 20% from 1995 to 2005

  Emergency room visits in 2005 climbed to 115.3 million, equaling 39.6 visits per 100 people, says...

• CDC infection tracking system available to hospitals

  A new secure online reporting system to track healthcare-associated infections is now available to...

• No charges for doctor accused in Katrina deaths

  A grand jury has declined to indict Anna Pou, MD, a surgeon accused of killing four patients in the...

• Physicians request clarification from CMS on referral documentation requirement

  The American Medical Association and 51 other medical organizations have asked the Centers for...

Issue 26, July 2, 2007

• The Joint Commission releases its 2008 National Patient Safety Goals

  Healthcare organizations will face one new National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) in 2008 that...

• Surgeons expose themselves to infections through injury, according to study

  The New England Journal of Medicine published a study on June 28 saying that 83 % of surgeons stuck...

• Study shows wrong-site surgery occurs every other day at PA facilities

  The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority announced on June 26 that wrong-site surgeries occurred...

• Ohio hospital first to receive disease-specific certification

  The Joint Commission awarded Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton, OH the first disease-specific...

• U.S. House members push rural healthcare bill

  A bill that would improve rural healthcare by extending provisions form a 2003 law would mean...

Issue 25, June 25, 2007

• Nurses say syringe labeling can help stop medication errors

  The American Nurses Association (ANA)'s 2007 Study of Injectable Medication Errors found 68% of...

• CMS releases 30-day mortality rates for heart patients released

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its 30-day Risk Adjusted Death...

• Limited hours of work improve patient care

  Researchers at Yale-New Haven Hospital found that rules limiting work time of interns and residents...

• D.C.-area hospital accreditation status drops to

  The Joint Commission has lowered Greater Southeast Community Hospital's accreditation status to...

Issue 24, June 18, 2007

• Senator personally checks hospital after JC inspectors found immediate dangers

  After a regular Joint Commission inspection deemed psychiatric ward patients of Seattle-area...

• CMS gives King-Harbor Hospital plenty of second chances

  Although Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital in Los Angeles has failed several inspections by...

• Joint Commission names director of Division of Standards and Survey Methods

  1. On June 11, The Joint Commission named Amy Panagopoulos its director of the Division of...

• Wrong-site surgery occurs at CA hospital for second time in 18 months

  Children's Hospital of Orange Country reported its second wrong-site surgery within 18 months on...

• Secretary of Health and Human Services launches flu blog

  On June 13, 2007, Michael Leavitt, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services...

Issue 23, June 11, 2007

• Upcoming National Time Out Day serves as reminder to get it right

  The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and The Joint Commission are teaming up with the Association...

• Pennsylvania hospitals oppose statewide reporting system

  Pennsylvania hospitals are opposing legislation that would require them to report infections using...

• Vermont hospitals can be compared to others

  Patients of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (BMH) can now compare BMH to other hospitals in the state...

• Long Island hospital regains Joint Commission accreditation

  The Nassau University Medical Center of East Meadow, NY had been conditionally accredited since May...

• Joint Commission Resources asks for test hospitals

  Joint Commission Resources (JCR), an affiliate of The Joint Commission, is looking for volunteer...

Issue 22, June 4, 2007

• Chicago-area hospital could face accreditation status downgrade

  Stroger Hospital, the top public hospital in Cook County, IL, is facing the possibility of...

• Joint Commission gets closer to revised MM.4.10 standards

  On May 17, representatives from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), as well as...

• Government studying emergency care situations

  The U.S. government is in the process of performing a major study that would look at trauma care...

• AMA setting up system for physicians to swap ideas

  The American Medical Association (AMA) hopes a new online system will help physicians communicate...

• Assessing medication management risks essential to drug safety of hospital progr

  Because it’s the final medication management (MM) standard and surveyors don’t commonly...

Issue 21, May 28, 2007

• Unapproved abbreviations most frequently cited goal in first quarter of '07

  The Joint Commission last week released data on hospital compliance with the National Patient...

• Information Management standards up for review

  Individuals and organizations have the chance to review and comment on The Joint Commission's...

• FAQ clarifies role of interpretive readers in IC process

  A new FAQ posted on The Joint Commission's Web site makes it clear that hospitals do not have to...

• Children with cancer at risk for medication errors

  Errors in medications associated with cancer are occurring too frequently in children, according to...

• One year later, hospital is still busy gathering data

  For anyone who thinks the accreditation process gets easy after the unannounced survey is over...

Issue 20, May 21, 2007

• Joint Commission revises EC.4.10 and EC.4.20

  Hospitals, critical access hospitals, and long-term care facilities will all have to comply with...

• Joint Commission promises changes with Standards Improvement Initiative

  In an effort to make its standards better, more readable, and easier to locate, The Joint...

• U.S. performs poorly on world healthcare survey

  The U.S. healthcare system ranks last when compared to other rich countries, according to a study...

• L.A. hospital investigating possible negligent death

  Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital officials met with Los Angeles County supervisors last week...

Issue 19, May 14, 2007

• PC.12.90 revised to align with CMS restraint rule

  The Joint Commission revised standard PC.12.90, an evaluation of patients in restraints or...

• Joint Commission unveils new 'Speak up' campaign help

  The Joint Commission released new posters on its Web site last week to help healthcare facilities...

• Offer your feedback on improving organization performance standard

  The Joint Commission is seeking comments on its proposed revisions to the Improving Organization...

• Michigan association pushes for communication before surgery

  The Michigan Health and Hospital Association announced a safer surgery plan based on more...

• Hospitals must be clear about using patient identifiers

  It may be one of the original NPSGs, but #1A (use two patient identifiers when providing care) is...

Issue 18, May 7, 2007

• Joint Commission seeks feedback on infection control standard

  The Joint Commission has posted its proposed revisions to the Surveillance, Prevention, and Control...

• Joint Commission announces new performance measurement requirements for DSC

  Organizations should be aware of new performance measurements and improvement focus requirements...

• WHO unveils nine lifesaving solutions for patient safety

  The World Health Organization's (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Patient Safety Solutions released...

• CMS holding open-door forum on restraint changes

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will host a special Open Door Forum on the amendments...

• Defining values and tests crucial to CTR standard

  What's one of the most common reasons that hospitals cannot adhere to National Patient Safety Goal...

Issue 17, April 30, 2007

• Joint Commission answers foreign object question

  Last week the Joint Commission posted a new FAQ on its Web site to clear up confusion about...

• Disease-specific care certification up for field review

  Ambulatory care, disease-specific care, home care, and hospital programs have until June 5 to offer...

• Joint posts updates to LTC standards

  The Joint Commission posted online last week updates to the Medicare/Medicaid Certification-Based...

• Boston hospitals release survey information

  Five Boston teaching hospitals released their Joint Commission survey results to the public last...

Issue 16, April 23, 2007

• Joint Commission rescinds interim action on MM.4.10

  In a memo to accredited hospitals and critical access hospitals last week, The Joint Commission...

• St. Mary's could lose accreditation

  Understaffing and a faulty water pump led to a Joint Commission decision of preliminary denial of...

• Report cards drive hospitals to improve

  Hospitals are beginning to pay close attention to Web sites that rank hospitals on safety and cost...

• New company allows tracking of patient prescriptions

  To help combat prescription drug errors, PharmMD Solutions LLC has developed a system to help...

Issue 15, April 16, 2007

• Hospitals can report Joint Commission information mistakes

  The Joint Commission last week began to allow healthcare professionals to have a system for...

• Joint Commission will accredit VAD programs

  Hospitals that implant ventricular assist devices (VAD) as destination therapy are now eligible to...

• Laws may allow physicians to apologize

  Nine states are considering passing bills that would allow physicians to apologize to patients...

• Florida providers, insurers working on electronic prescribing

  Several health insurers and provider organizations in Florida are making a push toward more...

• Fine-tune your handoff communication processes

  The Joint Commission examines handoff communication in the 2007 NPSG FAQs released in February in...

Issue 14, April 9, 2007

• Joint Commission announces organizational changes

  The Joint Commission announced last week the appointment of Dale S. Johnson as executive director...

• VA department investigating rehab hospital deaths

  Five unusual deaths in three months at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center has led to an...

• Study: Hospital errors rose to 3% from 2003 to 2005

  Patient safety incidents at U.S. hospitals rose to 3% of all cases over the years 2003 to 2005...

• AHRQ releases checklists to help educate patients

  The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) recently developed and released two...

Issue 13, April 2, 2007

• Joint Commission releases report on hospital diversity

  In its continued effort to improve communication between hospital staff and patients of all...

• Study offers ways to provide all patients with same-day appointments

  A recent study published by two Columbia University professors and a physician, and backed by The...

• Study offers ways to provide all patients with same-day appointments

  A recent study published by two Columbia University professors and a physician, and backed by The...

• CMS releases new transplant rules

  CMS increased the scrutiny placed on transplant rules with new regulations released last week...

• Missouri hospital aims for compliance with cooling regulations

  CoxHealth Hospitals in Springfield, MO, is hoping that its new temperature tracking devices will...

• Defining values and tests crucial to CTR standard

  What’s one of the most common reasons that hospitals cannot adhere to National Patient Safety...

Issue 12, March 26, 2007

• Report on improving hospital safety touts improvement, stresses room for more

  Hospitals significantly improved the quality of care they provided to patients, but there's plenty...

• Electronic Plans for Improvement deadline extended

  September 1, 2007, is the new deadline for facilities to convert Life Safety Code® deficiencies...

• New Broselow tape not required by Joint Commission

  The recently released 2007A version of the Broselow tape has minimal changes, and no major drug...

• Mass General considers releasing Joint Commission report

  Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston might release its final accreditation report once...

Issue 11, March 19, 2007

• Joint Commission releases updated Sentinel Events statistics

  The number of reported Sentinel Events was down in 2006 compared to the last two years, according...

• Organ procurement team update

  The Joint Commission clarified rules for credentialing the organ procurement team on the hospital...

• Pneumonia standards may cause overmedication

  Researchers looking at pneumonia standards implemented by The Joint Commission and CMS in 2004...

• Death more likely in weekend heart attack victims

  A study of heart attack victims in New Jersey showed that patients admitted to hospitals on the...

• Compliance with MM.3.20 comes down to following hospital policy for communicatin

  Accurately communicating medication orders is often a weak spot for hospitals during their Joint...

Issue 10, March 12, 2007

• Congress questions Joint Commission about West Texas Hospital

  In a letter to Joint Commission President Dennis O'Leary, three members of congress questioned the...

• California Web site allows for comparison shopping of hospitals

  Data from The Joint Commission and CMS will be used by a new Web site that will help consumers...

• Study: Surgery increases risk of medication errors

  A study of more than 400 hospitals showed that surgeries were the most common time for medication...

• Arizona hospitals turning to state surveyors

  Twenty-three hospitals in Arizona currently have opted out of Joint Commission accreditation and...

Issue 9, March 5, 2007

• PPR process updated in Perspectives

  The Joint Commission updated its PPR process in the March issue of Perspectives

• PPR process updated in Perspectives

  The Joint Commission updated the process for Periodic Performance Reviews (PPR) for providers in...

• The Joint Commission can still accredit CMS labs

  CMS granted The Joint Commission continued deeming authority under the Clinical Laboratory...

• Study: Seniors making too many medication mistakes

  Complicated medication regimens are causing older adults to make too many mistakes taking their...

• Ohio hospital sued over medication error

  The family of an 82-year-old woman who died at Akron City Hospital from an overdose of potassium...

• The Joint Commission releases 147 new or revised FAQs for 2007 National Patient

  On February 1, The Joint Commission released new FAQs addressing the 2007 NPSGs, and there are 147...

Issue 7, February 26, 2007

• New Joint Commission initiative to focus on measuring nursing performance

  The Joint Commission is beginning a new initiative to focus on ways to measure nursing performance...

Issue 6, February 12, 2007

• The Joint Commission tries to bridge healthcare literacy gap

  On February 7, The Joint Commission released a white paper entitled What Did the Doctor Say...

• Insurance company makes medical tourism deal

  The State, South Carolina's largest newspaper, reports that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South...

Issue 5, February 5, 2007

• Joint Commission releases long-awaited 2007 Goals FAQs

  On February 1, The Joint Commission released new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) pertaining to...

Issue 4, January 29, 2007

• Field still waits for '07 Goals FAQs

  The Joint Commission has yet to release its frequently-asked-questions (FAQ) document on the 2007...

Issue 2, January 15, 2007

• JCAHO changes name to The Joint Commission

  The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) on January 7 officially...

Issue 1, January 8, 2007

• JCAHO field review round-up

  Want to have a say in new JCAHO standards and 2008 National Patient Safety Goals? The JCAHO...

Issue 48, November 16, 2007

• Phase III Stark delayed

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published on November 15 a final rule which...