Using best practices to sterilize surgical instruments can help lower infection rates and, in some cases, prevent death. Over the past few years, staff at Banner Boswell Medical Center in Sun City, Arizona, have worked to reduce immediate use steam sterilization (IUSS) rates. Thanks to improved communication and workflow between…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission and AABB (formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks) have announced a partnership to provide a joint hospital certification program for patient blood management. The voluntary certification will be available in 2016 and is based on the AABB Standards for a Patient Blood…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission on December 7 announced a new Standards BoosterPak on high-level disinfection and sterilization. A Standards BoosterPak is a searchable document that provides detailed information about a standard that has been associated with a high volume of inquiries or non-compliance scores. The goal of the new…

Read More

Editor's Note The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) Foundation has released a compendium to help healthcare organization meet the Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) on clinical alarms. The compendium provides specific tips and outlines practices in use by leading institutions. Beginning January 1, 2016, the…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission on December 2 launched two new resources to help healthcare providers reduce readmissions and improve the discharge process. The resources include a new “Speak Up” campaign to “Avoid a Return Trip to the Hospital,” and a “Quick Safety” newsletter. “Speak Up” includes an infographic, animated…

Read More

During the first half of 2015, the Joint Commission’s top “not compliant” survey citations stemmed from Infection Control IC.02.02.01, which relates to reducing the risk of infections associated with medical equipment, devices, and supplies. Surveyors cited critical access hospitals in 60% of the surveys, hospitals in 54%, and office-based surgery…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission on November 17 released its annual report on America’s Hospitals: Improving Quality and Safety, which summarizes data on 49 accountability measures reported by more than 3,300 accredited hospitals. For the first time, acute care hospitals were required to meet program criteria in six sets—an increase…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission is recognizing 40 years of accrediting ambulatory healthcare organizations with an online repository featuring photos, testimonials, and interviews with customers, staff, and surveyors. The ambulatory program covers a wide variety of organizations, including ambulatory surgery centers, cath labs, clinics, and imaging centers. Since 1975, the…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are collaborating on an initiative to adapt, enhance, and disseminate CDC infection prevention guidance in a variety of free-standing and ambulatory healthcare settings. The Joint Commission will select and work with 12 outpatient-focused professional organizations and…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare on October 15 released Oro 2.0, an online high reliability assessment and resource library to help hospital leaders determine their organizations’ level of high reliability maturity. The assessment process guides users through a series of questions that allows for discussion and…

Read More