Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new memorandum on November 28 emphasizing the importance of enforcing regulations and expectations to create a safe environment for hospital staff when delivering patient care, the American Hospital Association reported on November 28. According to the memo, the…
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration, on November 23, identified the recall by Baxter Hillrom of its WatchCare Incontinence Management System (IMS) as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the risk for radiofrequency (RF) emissions from WatchCare devices that may interfere with other devices,…
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 16 identified the recall by Insulet of its Omnipod DASH Insulin Management System Personal Diabetes Manager (PDM) as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of PDM battery issues, including: Battery swelling Fluid leakage from the battery…
On September 15, 2022, AORN released its updated Guideline for Processing Flexible Endoscopes. Over the past several years, there has been significant research on flexible endoscope processing—research that met the stringent requirements and has been included in this revised guideline by AORN’s lead author and team. Endoscope processing begins with…
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on November 10 issued a report outlining its plans, “for the first time,” to improve the transparency, accountability, and completeness of health equity data across its programs. “CMS defines health equity data as the combination of quantitative and qualitative elements…
Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on November 4 posted the incidence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) reported by US hospitals in 2021. The report showed that rates for four of six tracked infections had increased: Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) increased 7%, with the largest increase…
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on November 9 that refreshed Accelerate PI Dashboard Reports are available for accredited hospitals and critical access hospitals to provide updated performance measurement data on certain quality measures. Refreshed “Other” reports contain data through the third quarter of 2021. Data in the reports comes…
Editor's Note ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices PSO, on November 7, named Monument Health of Rapid City, South Dakota, the winner of the 2022 Safety Excellence Award. The healthcare system set a strategic goal to improve culture of safety, increase incident and near-miss event reporting, and enrich…
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on November 2 announced that it has added safety briefings to all accreditation surveys as well as certification and verification reviews, effective January 1, 2023. The informal, 5-minute briefing allows organizations to tell surveyors and reviewers about any potential safety concerns and how they should…
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 1 identified the recall of Teleflex’s Iso-Gard Filter S as Class I, the most serious. Iso-Gard filters are breathing circuit bacterial filters that are connected to respiratory equipment or breathing systems in operating rooms and ICUs. The recall was initiated…