Surgical instruments and other critical devices – those that enter sterile tissues – are reprocessed and reused every day in hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and other health care facilities. Because of the costs of physical space, supplies, equipment, and personnel to perform reprocessing and sterilization of reusable devices, some organizations choose to use disposable instruments and devices for critical procedures in some or all areas of their facility.
For organizations performing reprocessing, ensuring that those instruments and devices are reusable – that they are in good condition, and can be cleaned and sterilized following validated manufacturer’s instructions – is critical to patient safety. A new issue of Quick Safety examines this and provides safety actions to consider.
Read Quick Safety.
The Joint Commission has formed a new Pharmacy Advisory Council that will provide valuable input on issues affecting medication management and how The Joint Commission can assist in enhancing quality and patient safety in that area.
The council also will:
- Provide guidance on how The Joint Commission’s initiatives, standards, and accreditation process can be enhanced to assist organizations in providing high quality and safe patient care related to medication management.
- Identify ways in which the impact of recent and planned future changes in Joint Commission standards and accreditation processes, products, and services can be optimized relative to the health care field.
- Share feedback on how current Joint Commission enterprise activities are impacting pharmacies and the delivery of quality and safe patient care.
- Counsel The Joint Commission on current and evolving health care trends and issues as they impact quality and patient safety.
- Share perspectives on Joint Commission initiatives and service offerings that may affect pharmacies and the health care field.
The council members are:
- Vandi Anderson, PharmD, BCSCP, Director of Pharmacy, CHI St Alexius Health Williston
- Brian Beckett, Executive Vice President, Pharmacy Operations, Comprehensive Pharmacy Services
- Chris Beebe, RPh, MBA, Senior Vice President, Compliance and Regulatory Services, Comprehensive Pharmacy Services
- Samuel V. Calabrese, MBA, RPh, FASHP, Chief Pharmacy Officer, Cleveland Clinic
- Mike Ganio, PharmD, MS, FASHP, Senior Director, Pharmacy Practice and Quality, American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacist
- Alisa House, RPh, Senior Advisory, Quality and Accreditation, CVS Health
- Rita Jew, PharmD, MBA, BCPPS, FASHP, President, Institute for Safe Medication Practices
- Louis Kynard, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy, Tallahassee Memorial Hospital
- Carolyn Liptak, MBA, RPh, Pharmacy Executive Director, Center for Pharmacy Practice Excellence, Vizient Inc.
- Wanda Rogers, MS, RPh, FNHIA, National Director of Pharmacy, Infusion, Coram LLC
- Rita Shane, PharmD, FASHP, FCSHP, Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
The council also includes Joint Commission staff:
- Robert Campbell, PharmD, BCSCP, Director Standards Interpretation Group / Director Medication Management
- Ana Pujols McKee, MD, Executive Vice President/Chief Medical Officer, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer
- Kathryn Petrovic, MSN, RN, Director, Department of Standards and Survey Methods
- Debbie Ryan, MS, RN, Senior Director, Field Operations, Accreditation and Certification Operations
- Raji Thomas, DNP, MBA, CPHQ, CPPS, Director, Office Quality and Patient Safety
- Maureen Vance, MSN, RN, Clinical Project Manager, Department of Standards and Survey Methods
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most invasive and deadly multidrug-resistant organisms. MRSA incidence continues to be a serious threat, with more than 323,000 cases detected in hospitalized patients and over 10,000 deaths annually. In addition, preliminary analyses have found increases in hospital-onset resistant infections like MRSA during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A new Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) safety program for MRSA prevention is now seeking intensive care units (ICUs) and non-ICUs to participate in a free 18-month program, which begins April 2022. Participating sites will receive expert coaching, online training, tools, and resources to help protect patients and strengthen their unit’s patient safety efforts.
Organizations do not need to be Joint Commission accredited or certified to participate, and the program is not related to accreditation or certification.
Contact a program lead at mrsaprevention@norc.org with questions.
A Pioneers in Quality (PIQ) Expert to Expert webinar focusing on the severe obstetric complications electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) is scheduled for March 8.
The free webinar will take place from 9-10 a.m. PT / 10-11 a.m. MT / 11 a.m.-noon CT / noon-1 p.m. ET.
This webinar will address Perinatal Care (PC) performance measure ePC-07. Webinar content will address a review of measure intent and specifications, including the denominator, exclusions, numerator, data elements, and logic. Frequently asked questions will be addressed. Participants also will be able to ask questions during a live Q&A.
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Apply concepts about measure specifications and prepare to implement ePC-07.
- Locate eCQM resources to assist in quality improvement activities.
The webinar also offers 1.0 Continuing Education (CE) credit for those who:
- Individually register for the webinar.
- Listen to the live webinar in its entirety. Only those listening live during the session will be eligible to receive credit.
- Complete a post-program evaluation/attestation. The program evaluation/attestation link will be sent to your registered email after the webinar.
Register. The webinar recording and slides will be available several weeks later.
The Wisconsin Health Literacy (WHL) Summit is scheduled for April 5-6 at The Edgewater in Madison. Those attending will be required to show proof of vaccination, and the event will follow Dane County’s COVID-19 requirements — which may include a mask mandate at the Summit.
Participants will learn from and network with experts who are Embracing Health Literacy in the New Normal. Topics will include:
- Digital communications
- Telehealth
- Health insurance
- Health equity
Learn more about the event or register. Those interested may also attend a free Pre-Summit Vaccine Community Outreach event on April 4.