Editor's Note The Joint Commission and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced March 3 that they are collaborating on a project designed to adapt, enhance, and disseminate CDC guidelines related to infection prevention in ambulatory healthcare settings. The goal of the initiative, called “ADOPT (Adaptation and Dissemination Outpatient…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on March 1 issued a new Sentinel Event Alert on “The essential role of leadership in developing a safety culture.” Leadership’s failure to create an effective safety culture is contributing to adverse events such as wrong-site surgery and delays in treatment, the Joint Commission says.…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 22 announced that recent changes had been made to simplify and streamline the accreditation post-survey process and decision rules. Among the changes: An organization with an accredited with follow-up decision will receive full accreditation once it has successfully submitted evidence of standards compliance.…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced February 22 that it had updated its sentinel event statistics through the end of 2016. Of 824 events reviewed, unintended retention of a foreign object topped the list at 120. Wrong-patient, wrong-site, or wrong-procedure was second at 104 events, and operative/postoperative complication was seventh…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 21 launched a Medication Compounding Certification that addresses new medication compounding laws and regulations. The certification, which is awarded for a 2-year period, was developed in collaboration with the United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) to help healthcare organizations ensure compliance with Joint Commission…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced February 15 that it will now evaluate all accredited organizations for compliance with the January 18 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ban on powdered gloves. Citations will be listed under Leadership (LD) 04.01.01 element of performance (EP) 2: “The organization provides care, treatment and…

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Editor's Note The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has developed two e-learning modules on informed consent that will be available through the Joint Commission’s learning management system for continuing education credit. The modules, which are available for free: help hospital leaders provide guidance on developing policies and ensuring…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission in December banned the use of secure text messaging to transmit patient orders, the January 9 Becker’s Infection Control & Clinical Quality reports. The Joint Commission collaborated with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to make the following recommendations: Healthcare facilities are prohibited…

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Editor's Note A new blog from the Joint Commission on Infection Prevention & Control covers experiences, case studies, and news for infection preventionists. The latest blog post details the BoosterPak for High-Level Disinfection and Sterilization processes, which is applicable to hospitals, critical access hospitals, plus ambulatory and office-based surgery settings.…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on December 9 issued new and revised National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) on catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) that will be effective January 1, 2017. The new NPSG will apply to accredited nursing care centers, and the revised NPSGs will apply to accredited hospitals and…

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