Keeping Pediatric Patients Safe

April 2018

Caring for pediatric patients means that there are aspects of safety that must be ascertained through competency to maintain infection control principles, abuse and suicide assessment, and medication management. Many facilities provide care to patients across the continuum of age. Often units such as OB or Med-Surg are utilized in combination with pediatrics to aid in staffing utilization versus patient population. However, it must be emphasized that a pediatric patient is not just a little adult Read More

Congress Wants Increased Oversight of Accrediting Organizations

On March 9, 2018, the U.S. House of Representatives, the Committee of Energy and Commerce sent letters to The Joint Commission (TJC) and other Accrediting Organizations (AO), stating that there would be increased oversight for hospitals that participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs. The primary focus is on patient safety and to assure that federal standards are being met. Read More

HELP Hints to Engage Leaders Proactively

This month, we'll take a fun approach to education on a serious topic: Emergency Management. With threats ranging from cyber-attacks to school shootings and from catastrophic weather to utility system failures, hospitals are at the center of many emergency situations. Read More

In the Spotlight

Not only does Courtemanche and Associates work with hospital organizations to help them prepare for accreditation, but we also provide educational sessions regarding the accreditation and regulatory process. Recently, Lt. Colonel Jeffrey Oliver, Perioperative Consultant to the Air Force Surgeon General and Director of Clinical Education for the Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialty (CNS) at the Uniformed Services University of Health Services, reached out to consultant Kimberly Merritt to speak to CNS graduate students. The students requested information in accreditation and regulatory requirements with a perioperative focus. It was a great opportunity for us to have a forum and share knowledge with our military members.

Thank you to our military members for your dedication and service.

Were You Aware: Project Refresh Updates

The Joint Commission (TJC) continues to make changes with Project Refresh to assure that standards are not duplicative and that they are relevant to and improve patient safety. The recent TJC focus has been on pain management. Standard RI.01.01.01, EP8, which required the hospital to respect the patient's right to pain management was deleted effective immediately. Visit our website for more information. Read More

Best Wishes

We wish a fond farewell to Jill Ryan who is returning to hospital operations in order to be home for family. We thank Jill for her many contributions to C&A and our clients over the years and note significant accomplishments, such as our Center for Survey Response, presence on national boards, and numerous educational tools and presentations that kept us all abreast of TJC and CMS changes. Our best wishes go out to Jill in her personal and professional endeavors.

Courtemanche & Associates | (704) 573-4535 | Email: [email protected]

The Joint Commission® is a registered trademark of Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Courtemanche & Associates has no affiliation with this entity.

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