COVID-19 has forced hospitals to change many practices and focus mainly on keeping everyone safe from exposure to the virus and away from past operational practices. Fortunately, this has created new ways for hospitals to respond and adapt. One such advantage is embracing technology to aid in deploying solutions to otherwise weak points in protocols to […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is threatening to make hospital inspection results by accreditation providers such as The Joint Commission, DNV, CIHQ and Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program public so that patients can see potential violations prior to choosing a hospital. CMS submitted a survey and certification letter, dated April 16, 2017, announcing […]
Health care associated infections (HAIs) are drawing increasing attention from patients, insurers, government and regulatory agencies. Everyone must understand their role in improving outcomes. Education is essential for infection control since most HAIs are considered preventable. You would not get on an airplane knowing the pilot had no training. It’s not just pilots who require […]
Too often we hear about the cost of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) as related to the responsible hospital. Traveling around the country and working closely with health care systems on reducing infections, I have seen internal costs for HAIs ranging from $25,000 to $45,000 per incident. The individual costs of infection are reason enough to place […]
To many fighting cancer, palliative care is considered the ending point – just dealing with pain management until life ends. Recent developments outside of normal cancer treatment have emerged with both promise and staggering treatment pricing. While chemotherapy is still considered a mainstay in fighting cancer, it has its drawbacks in the form of adverse […]
Commissioning inspectors are interested in programs that improve safety and drive successful patient outcomes. To that end, hospitals are not only reviewing the impact of medical equipment care toward patient outcomes they are also moving to expand influenza vaccination to make humans safer. In fact, more health care systems are expanding immunization demands beyond clinical […]
Even though CRISPR sounds like something as simple as a cereal or a toaster treat, it is actually a scientific development that is making research faster and cheaper with more accurate results. CRISPR is a powerful gene-editing technology that is already showing promise in curing difficult and deadly diseases. CRISPR is a defense mechanism found […]
Just when you thought things were improving with hospital safety and health care associated infections (HAIs), new research shows health care associated pathogens remain active on all types of surfaces for extended periods of time. CMS submitted a survey and certification letter, dated April 16, 2017, announcing the intention to publish proposed changes that will […]
You may be wondering why this article is specifically focused on health care-associated infections (HAIs) while so many changes are occurring in health care. Unfortunately, there are a few powerful forces that have collided over one specific spot that makes this focus on HAIs significant. With the continued rise in multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs), an […]
Endoscopic procedures involve a flexible or rigid tube with a light and camera attached to it which is inserted into an organ cavity. This invasive imaging technique is sometimes combined with specific surgical procedures. Endoscopes fall into categories based on the area of the body that they investigate. The Food and Drug Administration states that […]