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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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on November 28 announced that it had revised National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) 03.05.01. The revisions apply to organizations that initiate, manage, and adjust dosage for anticoagulant medications, including accredited ambulatory health care (in medical centers only), hospitals, critical access hospitals, and nursing care centers.…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on November 7 announced a new requirement of participation in a national joint replacement registry for its advanced Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement (THKR) certification, effective July 1, 2019. The Disease Specific Care Performance Measurement (DSPM) standard DSPM.4, element of performance (EP) 2 will…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on November 6 released “Pioneers in Quality eCQM Proven Practices Collection: Recognizing Success 2017-2018.” The publication recognizes healthcare organizations that have successfully leveraged electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) and health information technology to drive quality improvement. Nine hospitals are featured:  BayCare Health System, Inc, Clearwater,…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on October 24 that the 2019 National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) are now available on its website. Included is a new element of performance (EP) for NPSG.01.01.01, EP3, which is designed to improve the naming convention of newborns after delivery to prevent medical errors…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on October 24 announced that beginning January 1, 2019, any hospital wanting to pursue the Advanced Certification in Heart Failure or Comprehensive Cardiac Center Certification will no longer have to be accredited by the Joint Commission. The Joint Commission says it is making this change…

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Editor's Note  Joint Commission Resources on October 24 announced the availability of a new accreditation prep guide specific for surgical settings. “Survey Readiness Guide for Surgical Settings: Standards, Tracers, and Tools” is a self-assessment tool that includes all relevant Joint Commission accreditation standards and provides an overview of the survey…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on October 17 announced that it is seeking public comment on three draft electronic Patient Blood Management (ePBM) performance measures: PBM-01 Preoperative Anemia Screening  PBM-03 Preoperative Blood Type Testing and Antibody Screening  PBM-04 Initial Transfusion Threshold. The Joint Commission is looking at options for using…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association (AHA) will offer a single cardiovascular (CV) certification program for hospitals beginning January 1, 2019, the Joint Commission announced on October 10. The single certification is designed to enhance CV patient care and improve outcomes and quality of life. It…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced October 10 that accredited, deemed-status ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) will no longer be required to collect data on medical necessity and appropriateness of procedures (PI.01.01.01, EP 21), effective July 1, 2019. The Joint Commission developed the performance improvement (PI) standard to align with the…

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