The current rule for ordering respiratory services restricts ordering to doctors of medicine (MD) or osteopathy (DO). This regulation limits the practice of other licensed independent practitioners (LIPs) such as nurse practitioners, even in states that do not require a co-signature for other types of orders. (MORE)
As hospitals continue to struggle with verbal order regulations, Compass’ experts are receiving more and more questions about achieving compliance in outpatient settings.
The Joint Commission (TJC) recently released answers to many common questions about the correct storage, use, and disposal of multi-dose vials in clinical settings. While this information will settle several uncertainties, achieving compliance may still be a challenge.
While regulatory standards govern the appropriate use of syringes and sharps, no specific regulations require that syringes be totally absent in any location. The lack of regulations about the location of sharps does not, however, remove the hospital’s responsibility for safeguarding sharps and syringes.
In the past, hospitals were only required to report deaths that occurred in behavioral health. However, the most recent requirements – in place since 2008 – expand the types of deaths that must be reported to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regional office.
The Journal of Healthcare Management recently featured a column by Compass Clinical Consulting Practice Leader for Accreditation and Regulatory Compliance, Ruth Elzer, RN, MS. The column, which is included in the March/April edition of the journal, offers insight and practical advice and expert analysis on how to comply with regulations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2010.
Since The Joint Commission’s MS.1.20 Implementation Task Force was convened in December 2007, the group has been working to define which aspects of the management of the Medical Staff need to be written specifically into the bylaws, and which items can be adopted through rules, regulations and related documents. The recently announced changes to the MS.01.01.01 standard include a few modifications that will come as a surprise to some hospitals and require action before the March 31, 2011, effective date.
Parts I and II of this series outlined two tools for risk assessment and how each can assist in evaluating the impact of potential risks within a hospital. This installment will focus on Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). This tool can be used to examine an event and its component parts to discover weaknesses and decrease the likelihood that they will occur.
Serious events that result in harm to patients leave a mark on a hospital, and all those involved. But, depending on the approach taken by investigators of the event, these events can teach valuable lessons that will positively impact future patient care.
Both The Joint Commission (TJC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) require hospitals to arm patients and families with specific instructions about how to register complaints. These expectations have likely increased the volume of complaints processed over the last year. But, even more importantly, subtle changes in the content of complaints may pose a challenge for hospitals in 2010, particularly if the impact of these complaints is underestimated.
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