Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 11 published it’s latest Quick Safety newsletter, which focuses on informed consent. Implementing an effective informed consent process poses numerous challenges, and frequently patients do not understand the risks, benefits, and alternatives involved in their treatment or surgical procedures, the Joint Commission says.…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 16 launched a new initiative called “Pioneers in Quality.” The program provides education and support for hospitals as they strive to meet the growing requirements for electronic clinical quality measures. Key components of the initiative include: Educational webinars Resource portal Modified annual report focusing…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 9 posted sentinel event-related data reported from accredited organizations. The top five types of sentinel events reported in 2015 were: Unintended retention of a foreign body (116 events) Wrong-patient, wrong-site, wrong-procedure (111 events) Falls (95 events) Suicide (95 events) Op/postop complication (76 events).…

Read More

Editor's Note The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore sustained top performance on all Joint Commission accountability measures from 2012 through 2014, and now more than 96% of patients receive recommended care consistent with national quality measures, this study finds. The sustainability process included: declaring and communicating goals creating an enabling…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission on January 27 announced that applications for its new Patient Blood Management Certification are now being accepted. The goal of the certification is to assist hospitals in implementing practices to help eliminate unnecessary transfusions and adverse outcomes. The certification is valid for 2 years.  …

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission on January 26 published Quick Safety #20, “Strategies to prevent URFOs.” This Quick Safety builds on Sentinel Event Alert, Issue 51, released October 2013, which addressed the prevention of unintended retained foreign objects (URFOs). URFOs were the most frequent sentinel event reported to the Joint…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission on January 25 announced that Parrish Medical Center, Titusville, Florida, is the first hospital to be awarded its Integrated Care Certification. The Joint Commission began offering the certification in July 2015 to recognize hospitals and ambulatory care settings that excel at integrating information-sharing, transitions of…

Read More

Preparation for a visit from the Joint Commission or the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is key to a positive survey outcome. “There is nothing mysterious about Joint Commission or CMS compliance,” says John Rosing, MHA, FACHE, vice president and principal, Patton Healthcare Consulting, Naperville, Illinois. Ensuring compliance involves…

Read More

Editor's Note A new, optional advanced certification program for total hip and total knee replacement is now available from the Joint Commission. The program will help accredited hospitals, critical access hospitals, and ambulatory surgery centers provide a consistent approach to patient care that reduces the risk of error and improves…

Read More

Editor's Note California Senate Bill 396, designed to strengthen regulation of unlicensed outpatient surgery settings, goes into effect January 1, 2016, the Joint Commission reports. The Bill builds upon existing regulations that mandate facility accreditation of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and office-based surgery practices that are not state licensed or…

Read More