Editor's Note The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), on April 10, announced the release of updated standards for its 3-year Advanced Orthopaedic Certification program, which will take effect July 1, 2023. The updated Certification Handbook for Advanced Orthopaedics, v42, introduces new terminology and standards architecture plus a revised…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on April 19, posted the Top 5 requirements and corresponding elements of performance (EPs) identified most frequently as “not compliant” during surveys and reviews in 2022. The Top 5 for Hospitals have to do with: Implementing infection control activities when performing intermediate and high-level disinfection…

Read More

Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), on April 19, released new breast cancer standards that put the individualized needs of the patients first and focus on shared decision-making. Previous standards addressed surgical care issues through an interdisciplinary lens, but they were…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on April 12, announced that it and Kaiser Permanente are still accepting applications for the 2023 Bernard J. Tyson National Award for Excellence in Pursuit of Healthcare Equity. The award, now in its third year, gives national recognition to a healthcare organization for an intervention…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on April 10, released a new Quick Safety advisory on preventing patient burns from light sources used during laparoscopic or arthroscopic procedures. Burns from these light sources can go unnoticed because they typically do not produce smoke or charring, even of surgical drapes, The Joint…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on April 5, announced that it had updated its Health Care Equity Accreditation Standards & Resource Center to assist organizations in meeting their healthcare equity standards. The new resources include: Six new Snapshots (brief synopses of approaches used by other organizations) from Cook County Health…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on April 5, posted a clarification on the time frame for querying the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB). Among the revisions: Medical Staff (MS) Standard MS.06.01.07, Element of Performance (EP) 9 and Standard MS.07.01.01, EP 3, on the time frame to evaluate a licensed practitioner’s…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on April 4, released its Sentinel Event Data 2022 Annual Review, which covered serious adverse events from January 1 through December 31, 2022. There were 1,441 sentinel events reported in 2022, a 19% increase over 2021, and a 78% increase over 2020, with COVID-19 continuing…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on March 22, announced that it is seeking input to a survey on the implementation and utilization of electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) to better assess the impact of prospective changes to data submission practices. This applies, in particular, to a healthcare organization’s readiness in…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on March 22, announced that it is seeking comments on proposed new requirements to address environmental sustainability for the hospital and critical access hospital programs. The aim of the proposed new Leadership (LD) Standard LD.05.01.01 is to help facilities minimize their carbon footprints as they…

Read More