Currently, 60% of U.S. hospitals don't have an antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) that meets all seven components of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stewardship guidelines. But that is about to change with The Joint Commission announcement that as of...
In June, the Helping Hospitals Improve Patient Care Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives, bringing several changes to CMS. One of the most noteworthy provisions of the act allows CMS to determine acceptable readmission rates and penalties by comparing facilities with...
Think fast: Does your hospital have a "never events" policy? Does it include apologizing to the patients that were harmed and waiving their costs? Does it include a risk assessment?
In May, the University of North Texas (UNT) Health and Science Center announced a new collaborative aimed at improving patient care throughout the state and reducing medical errors across the continuum of care.
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 27, Issue 8
Several solutions have been proposed to solve the opioid epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new and controversial opioid prescribing guidelines in March, with stricter parameters on when opioids can be given. One advocacy group recommends...
A new proposed requirement released by CMS in June would require all hospitals to implement an antibiotic stewardship program to participate in federal programs such as Medicare.
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 27, Issue 8
After initially reversing a ban on texting medical orders, The Joint Commission and CMS have announced that they are working on additional guidance regarding texting policies. The two organizations hope to have a set of FAQs on creating an appropriate medical texting policy...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 27, Issue 8
Editor's note: Recently, the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP) released lists of its most-cited deficiencies of 2012-2015 for acute care and critical access hospitals. The following is an edited Q&A with Karen Beem, RN, MS, standards...
