Editor's Note In this modeling study of previously unscreened 40-years olds undergoing colorectal cancer screening, the following screening strategies from ages 50 to 75 years were estimated to provide similar life years gained and a comparable balance of benefit and screening burden: colonoscopy every 10 years annual fecal immunochemical testing…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Joint Commission on July 5 will begin using the 2012 version of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 101 Life Safety Code in their accreditation surveys. The final CMS rule requires hospitals to follow the 2012 version of the…

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Editor's Note A new ASTM International standard will help manufacturers validate a standardized, safe, and effective level for cleaning of medical devices. The standard--soon to be published as F3127, Guide for Validating Cleaning Lines for Medical Devices--is the result of a November 2011 symposium sponsored by ASTM International (formerly known…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced February 24 that it has approved two new Human Resources requirements for accredited hospitals, critical access hospitals, and ambulatory care organizations that provide diagnostic imaging services. These requirements specify minimum qualifications for technologists who perform computed tomography exams. They will be available in the…

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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…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission and the American Society for Healthcare Engineering on July 14 launched the new Physical Environment portal. The portal provides online resources and tools to help hospitals improve compliance with the eight most challenging Joint Commission Life Safety and Environment of Care standards. Upcoming education modules…

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Recent highly publicized outbreaks of infections linked to improper reprocessing of flexible endoscopes have raised concerns about infection prevention in gastrointestinal endoscopy procedures. Because of the headlines, legislatures are hearing from their constituents that they are fearful of being exposed to infections, and legislatures are getting involved. The Society of…

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Moving quickly up the ranks of the top 10 most frequently scored standards for Joint Commission accreditation is EC.02.05.01. At the end of 2012, this standard was just barely in tenth place, with 34% of hospitals noncompliant. By the first half of 2013, it had moved to fourth place and…

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For the first time, cardiac catheterization laboratory personnel have a document defining best practices, including time-outs, infection prevention, and preprocedure checklists. The statement, from The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), issued in March 2012, is the first to represent consensus on the operation of cath labs, the lead…

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What’s on the Joint Commission’s list of problem standards? The top 10 scored standards didn’t change much in 2011. Five of the top 10 are Environment of Care/Life Safety issues. Here’s a look at the trouble spots as identified at the Joint Commission’s executive briefing in late 2011.   Medical…

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