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Heads Up on Sexual Harassment in Healthcare Settings
The media has been chock full of news about sexual harassment and related issues creating a hostile work environment. Do not think that this news escapes either CMS (state) or TJC surveyors’ attention. We know from experience that issues in the news influence surveyors’ sensitivity and alertness to related Conditions of Participation and standards enforcement.
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The Joint Commission Updates Hand Hygiene Compliance
The Joint Commission has updated its hand hygiene standard for all accreditation programs. Effective January 1, 2018 surveyors will cite the failure of individuals to perform hand hygiene in the process of providing direct patient care as a deficiency resulting in a...
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The Joint Commission’s Hospital National Patient Safety Goals for 2018
The purpose of the National Patient Safety Goals is to improve patient safety. The Joint Commission established its National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) in order to help accredited organizations address specific areas of concern in regard to...
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Four Common EMTALA Vulnerabilities Hospitals Should Know … But Probably Don’t
Whether you are right or wrong, an EMTALA investigation can ruin your day. Here are four common EMTALA vulnerabilities that hospitals should address prior to an EMTALA survey to avoid bigger problems…
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Pervasive Problem: Psychiatric Patient Treatment in The Emergency Department
Emergency Department crowding is exacerbated by the increase in the number of patients with mental disorders, substance abuse problems or both, who present with acute problems. Besides the mental health conditions these patients often have other medical problems including diabetes, liver disease, and various infections.
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Compass in the Media – 2017 Contributions
Clinical Consulting experts take pride in diligently sharing objective analysis, news, insights, strategies, and tactics in media publications for healthcare professionals. In 2017, seven Compass Experts contributed 23 articles in media publications such as Trustee...
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Mental Health Patients: Keeping Staff & Patients Safe Without a Behavioral Health Services Unit
With CMS and The Joint Commission increasingly pushing to make sure facilities are following requirements and standards regarding mental health, now is a good time to assess your own facility’s mental health resources. But what happens when you’re in a facility without a behavioral health services unit? How do you keep patients and staff safe?
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Four Reasons Psychiatric Care and Behavioral Health Hospitals are Vulnerable to Noncompliance with the CMS CoPs
What makes psychiatric care and behavioral health so vulnerable to noncompliance with the CoPs? We know that’s a complex question, but here are four possible answers
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Patient Handoffs: Where Mistakes are Made
A patient handoff (also known as transitioning) is both the act of passing a patient between caregivers and the information exchanged between the sender (the provider giving away the patient) and the receiver (the provider taking the patient).These transfers can be as dramatic as airlifting a patient to a specialty hospital and telling the EMTs that the patient thinks she can fly and will try to jump out of the helicopter, or as mundane as a nurse ending her shift and telling her replacement the patient has been taken off a certain medicin
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Hospital Leaders Like to Think that “Immediate Jeopardy Can’t Happen Here” — Until it Does
Despite state and federal regulations, and private hospital accreditation programs that try to ensure high-quality care, errors occur in hospitals that result in patient injuries. Many errors are due to process failures rather than unpredictable accidents. Process failures can result in harm or
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