The difference between being accredited as a hospital or as an outpatient center can mean a difference of thousands of dollars in revenue when billing Medicare. And if you are a smaller, specialty hospital or an outlying facility that is part of a larger health system, be prepared .CMS and other...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 29, Issue 2
The latest update to The Joint Commission’s Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals (CAMH) is available and includes the most recent revisions related to the new federal requirements for emergency preparedness as well as more updates because of the adoption of the 2012 NFPA Life...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 29, Issue 2
Engaging patients in their care isn’t a matter of manners. It’s crucial to ensuring the best possible outcomes, that all your information is right, and that the will of the patient is understood. Also, the government can punish you for not doing it.
An unplanned fire is the ultimate sign that things have gone sideways.
Despite being labeled a never event and countless regulations on how to prevent them, fires still break out in hospitals. Between 2012 and 2014 there were 5,700 medical facility fires reported to fire departments. And...
The International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety Foundation (IAHSS) in August 2017 released a report to address strategies to prevent workplace violence in healthcare. Those familiar with the healthcare industry won’t be surprised by its conclusion: Healthcare facilities need...
A new CMS memo creates a definition of a ligature risk, a time frame for correcting them, and interim guidance for surveyors, plus requirements for requesting a time extension for a plan of correction taking longer than 60 days.
A study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association made headlines this November, announcing that overlapping surgeries didn’t increase the risk of postop complications. This study, and several others like it that came out in 2017, suggests the practice may not be as...
In 2017, a Missouri hospital found out the hard way that when not addressed quickly, restraint and seclusion deficiencies can spiral out of control. Twice in one year, CMS ruled that Mercy Hospital Springfield was putting patients in immediate jeopardy after inspectors found problems with the...