The Joint Commission announced an update of its “observer” definition in its accreditation and certification manuals. The new definition is meant to clarify the roles of surveyors and reviewer management staff during on-site surveys and reviews.
The new definition can be found under...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 28, Issue 2
Last year, the American Hospital Association (AHA) sent two letters to President Trump asking him to reform CMS regulatory requirements. In the letters, AHA CEO and president Rick Pollack wrote that the balance between flexibility in patient care and regulatory burden was at a tipping point...
March 12–18 marks the start of the 2017 National Patient Safety Awareness Week (PSAW). The week is organized by the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) to increase awareness on patient safety issues. The event is aimed at educating and engaging healthcare professionals and the general...
To improve medical outcomes in intensive care units, some hospitals are attempting to make units more accessible for patients’ family and caregivers. Allowing patients to have more access to their families have been shown to reduce hospital stays, improve satisfaction, and help prepare patients...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 28, Issue 2
The Joint Commission has reversed its position on the use of text messaging to send patient care orders, once again banning the practice months after saying they were acceptable
The original ban had been put in place in 2011 because at the time there were concerns over:
1. ...
If you work in healthcare, then you’re probably aware that there’s room for improvement. You’re also probably aware of the deluge of strategies, solutions, recommendations, and guidance on enhancing quality and patient safety—all of which require time, money, equipment, metrics, and manpower you...
The Joint Commission is placing increased emphasis on the importance of oral care. In a recent blog post, Trina Crow, RN, MJ, associate project director at The Joint Commission, wrote that the long-term care facilities need to pursue oral care policies more intently. Along with tooth and gum...
It was a long year of big changes; some unexpected, some you saw coming miles away. To help you find what you need, we’ve created our annual PSMJ Index of all this year’s articles and links. We hope you find this helpful in the upcoming year and we look forward to keeping you up to date on all...
