Briefings on Accreditation and Quality The threat of loss of accreditation is one that keeps survey coordinators and hospital leaders awake at night, but for most hospitals, it's more of a bogeyman than an actual threat-there are many stages an organization must go through and fail before their accrediting bodies slam the hammer down. However, a recent case of decertification and recertification by Medicare stands as a cautionary tale for hospitals across the country to never lose sight of the goals of quality and safety.  Tucked away on the far side of mountain passes in northeast Oregon, the 25-bed critical access Grande Ronde Hospital in La Grande provides much-needed care for a populace that can be cut off from larger facilities by a single snowstorm. The hospital provides all that it can for the local population, but, as with every critical access facility, there are inherent limits to the services that can be provided on-site. Certain specialties and medical services simply do not have the demand to draw full-time physicians or other professionals to the area. Think back to your last visit to a hospital as a patient or family member. Every patient care area has recognizable, ubiquitous items, such as automated blood pressure pumps, compression pumps, and IV pumps. But how do you know if those items were cleaned and/or disinfected? Were they used with the last patient, or have they sat dormant for weeks? Such items are easy to overlook, but in terms of patient safety and infection control, they need to be addressed in every facility.
Marketing Spotlight Hospitals face many challenges in regard to active shooter risk such as providing care to victims of shootings and being prepared in the event a shooting situation occurs at the hospital. In times of crisis, it is imperative that proper protocol is followed to minimize risk to workers and patients, and to end the situation as safely as possible. This is where The Active Shooter Response Toolkit for Healthcare Workers steps in to help. This electronic toolkit contains best practices, on-the-job advice, and tools that allow you to easily train your hospital staff—delivered to you in a fast and convenient electronic format. This electronic toolkit will:
• Help you prepare your staff for an active shooter situation
• Provide an overview of the potential threat of active shooters in hospitals
• Give you and your staff lots of tips about how to prepare a hospital facility to protect against an active shooter threat
• Teach your staff how to recognize a potential shooter
• Explain what to expect from first responders and how to help and preserve life during an active shooter incident
• Outline a plan to quickly recover to help keep the facility open and operational
Editor's Picks http://hcmarketplace.com/beyond-cahps, February 14, 2017
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