Monkeypox: CDC updates guidance for medical waste handling

The CDC has updated its guidance on infection control of monkeypox for healthcare settings, reminding providers that any case suspected of being of the more deadly Congo Basin clade requires more extensive precautions, including the handling of hazardous medical waste.

CMS issued six new survey tags as well as other updates to its online manual of interpretive guidelines for Conditions of Participation (COP) on infection prevention and control and antibiotic stewardship programs Wednesday.

Albert Tomchaney, MD, became the first chief medical officer of the Indiana-based Franciscan Alliance, which operates as Franciscan Health, in 2008. He has managed the physician practices for a time and overseen hospital operations such as pharmacy and care management. But throughout, and especially now, his focus has been on population health activities. “If it’s pop health related, or value related, I’ll probably touch it somewhere along the way,” Tomchaney says.

Now that we’ve turned full on into July (I’m parched just thinking about it), The Joint Commission survey process is going to (at least for a time) include a focus on the new (meet the new boss, same as the old boss) Emergency Management chapter and all that entails.

Scott Wytosick, CFPS, CFI-II, life safety coordinator for Akron Children’s Hospital and former Life Safety Code® (LSC) surveyor, says preparing for a survey is all about reviewing previous surveys.

“You need to be prepared to investigate if reoccurring problems still exist,” he adds. “Are there any changes that occurred since the last inspection?”

LSC officials are constantly striving to be survey-ready, with preparation strategies top of mind. Questions Wytosick has seen from facility leaders include:

The fire began in the university chemistry laboratory and quickly got out of hand. The local fire department was called as the flames became too much for extinguishers to handle. When the fire trucks arrived, the battalion chief asked for a chemical inventory so that his crew would be aware of the dangers they would be facing.

But no one in the chemistry department had a chemical inventory—and they didn’t know where one might be. As a result, the fire department refused to enter the building since it was deemed too dangerous, and the building was left to burn.

Healthcare’s relationship with technology is complicated. On the cutting edge of care, the industry often struggles with nonmedical tools and processes that other industries have already adopted. These tools, however, can be vital to improving patient engagement and decreasing barriers to effective care.

A recent report from KLAS called “Patient Perspectives on Patient Engagement Technology 2022” talks about patient, provider, and vendor alignment on patient engagement technology and which of these technologies are most desirable for the patient. Rising to the top of that list are tools that help patients schedule, register for, or check in to an appointment; refill prescriptions; communicate with a physician’s office before a visit; and find a doctor.

Standardize how your hospital manages its medical supplies to ensure that they are safely stored, updated, and available when needed. Also be sure to approve policies, procedures, plans, and related documents as required—even amid a long-term emergency.

The Joint Commission’s newly reorganized and revised Emergency Management standards do not address crisis of care standards now, but the accrediting organization will be considering them in the near future, said Jim Kendig, MS, CHSP, HEM.