Editor's Note The Joint Commission on June 26 announced that, effective immediately, Human Resources (HR) standard HR.01.05.03, element of performance (EP) 15, has been deleted from the Hospital, Critical Access Hospital, Ambulatory Care, and Office-Based Surgery accreditation programs. The deleted EP is: “The [organization] verifies and documents that individuals (including…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on June 19 announced that the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) has issued a new report−“Key Workforce Competencies for Quality-Driven Healthcare”− that focuses on creating a new framework for competencies needed by healthcare organizations to meet new goals for quality-driven healthcare. Among the competencies:…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on June 12 announced that it is reviewing the United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) revisions to its General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding−Sterile Preparations. The Joint Commission is evaluating the effect of the revisions on its accredited organizations and plans to issue guidance and updated survey…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced June 5 that beginning January 1, 2020, accredited office-based surgery practices that provide fluoroscopy services will be required to comply with element of performance (EP) 17 of Environment of Care (EC) standard EC.02.02.01: The practice manages risks related to hazardous materials and waste. This…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on May 29 announced performance measures for two newly developed advanced Disease-Specific Care Certification programs−Acute Heart Attack Ready and Primary Heart Attack Center. The measures will go into effect July 1, 2019, for critical access hospitals and hospitals (including freestanding emergency departments) pursuing these certifications.…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on May 21 issued Quick Safety 49: Disinfection of tonometers and other ophthalmology devices. The Joint Commission noted that the American Academy of Ophthalmology has reported that transmission of adenovirus and herpes simplex virus HIV, hepatitis C virus, enterovirus 70, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus,…

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Editor's Note No bacterial growth was found in any of 257 samples of normal saline and dextrose 5% in water (D5W) 24 hours after using standard sterile techniques to spike them in the perioperative area. Two 1000 mL bags of IV normal saline and D5W were spiked and hung in…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on May 14 announced that it is expanding its quality measure program to provide accredited hospitals with year-round, real-time access to quality measures without additional outside vendors. The Joint Commission can now use a single environment to specify, develop, test, and distribute clinical quality language…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on May 8 announced that its Ambulatory Care Accreditation team is launching a "We Know Surgery" campaign to highlight its 45-year history accrediting ambulatory care organizations. The campaign, which is being launched in conjunction with the Ambulatory Surgery Centers Association (ASCA) conference in Nashville May…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on April 24 announced that it will be posting spring 2019 updates to the E-dition® of its accreditation and certification manuals in May. The changes, which can be viewed on an organization’s Joint Commission Connect® extranet site, will go into effect July 1 unless otherwise…

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