Editor's Note The Joint Commission on January 23 announced that it is reinstating the individual mechanical thrombectomy volume eligibility requirement for the Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center (TSC) and Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC) certification programs. The Joint Commission is also implementing a revised volume requirement in 6 months that expands which physicians…

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Editor's Note A new blog post featured in the Joint Commission’s "High Reliability Healthcare" examines four essential steps for developing a reporting culture and why they are important. The steps are: Establish trust: Leaders should help create personal responsibility by establishing clear performance expectations for employees in an environment where…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on January 9 announced that it is seeking feedback on its newly proposed requirements for antimicrobial stewardship at Medication Management (MM) standard MM.09.01.03. The requirements apply to ambulatory healthcare organizations and office-based surgery practices. The proposed requirements align with current recommendations from scientific and professional…

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Postoperative pain management has always been a major focus of patient care. However, the opioid crisis is increasing the challenges healthcare leaders face because of the call for a national change in modalities of pain management. Regulatory bodies, specifically, are executing control to confront the opioid epidemic head on, making…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on January 9 the publication of a new R3 Report to help organizations better understand the new and revised pain assessment and management standards that will be effective July 1, 2019. The R3 Report, which is for behavioral healthcare organizations, nursing care centers, and…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on December 19 that, effective July 1, 2020, it will begin publicly reporting hospitals with consistently high C-section rates on"Quality Check," using hospital data reported during CY 2018 and 2019. The Joint Commission began requiring accredited hospitals to collect and submit data on the…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on December 19 launched a webpage that covers four high-risk areas that surveyors evaluate. The “4-1-1 on Survey Enhancements” interactive page provides resources for: Sterile medication compounding Suicide prevention High-level disinfection and sterilization Hemodialysis. The Joint Commission enhanced its evaluation of these high risk areas…

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In the past few months, the Joint Commission has implemented a new process for accreditation surveys and changed the wording and interpretation of some standards, particularly infection control. At the 2018 OR Manager Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, in September, John R. Rosing, MHA, FACHE, executive vice president and principal of…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on December 10 issued a new Sentinel Event Alert on developing a reporting culture to improve healthcare safety systems. The alert explores guidance to eliminate fear of negative consequences for those reporting mistakes and unsafe conditions in their organizations. The alert also encourages learning from…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on December 5 announced a new, free educational tool that details wrong-site surgery safety strategies--identifying risk factors and possible ways to improve processes. The case study lays out a situation in which a patient is scheduled for transbronchial biopsies of the right upper lung but…

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