The National Academy of Medicine recently hosted a virtual convening of distinguished thought leaders and innovators in the climate and healthcare spheres to exchange ideas and develop strategies to bridge the gap between the two.
Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, president and chief executive officer, The Joint Commission and Joint Commission International, presented on how hospitals can implement change in their policies and practices to reduce their carbon footprint, emphasizing the need to “move from concept to action.” He also shared how Sustainable Healthcare Certification can help healthcare organizations lay this important groundwork with resources for setting benchmarks and measuring progress.
A recent Becker’s Healthcare Podcast features the Joint Commission’s Laura Smith, senior product director of healthcare standards development, talking about the current state of rural healthcare and how the Joint Commission’s new Rural Health Clinics (RHC) Accreditation program aims to shape the future of a sector which serves approximately 15% of the U.S. population.
Smith underscores the potential impact of the new RHC program, explaining “the need to access safe, reliable, and effective care in rural communities is very important to us. We have a goal, which is to standardize patient care practices and to help rural health clinics in medically underserved communities really improve the safety and quality of primary care and personal health services to those in their community.”
Key takeaways from the podcast:
- Rural healthcare is a vital but challenging sector of the healthcare ecosystem, serving about 1 in 6 Americans with limited resources and access.
- The RHC program was developed with insights from other sectors The Joint Commission accredits, CMS guidelines, and unique challenges faced by healthcare providers in rural settings.
- The program offers standards, education, and resources to enhance performance and outcomes, as well as reductions in variation and risk.
This Friday, Aug. 2, at 6 p.m. ET is the deadline to receive public comments on the 66 candidate Serious Reportable Events (SRE) that are to be considered for inclusion on the National Quality Forum (NQF) 2024 SRE list. This includes 29 existing events from the 2011 SRE report and 37 candidate events submitted in response to NQF’s call for public input on candidate patient safety events that meet the updated inclusion criteria.
NQF is seeking public comment as part of the consensus-based process to update the Serious Reportable Events (SRE) list. Don’t miss this opportunity to comment on the candidate events and provide input to ensure the 2024 SRE list is comprehensive and reflective of today’s healthcare.
Contact the NQF team at patientsafety@qualityforum.org if you have any questions.
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing care delivery. As quality professionals, it's crucial to understand the technology, its opportunities, and risks. The National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) is offering a Learning Lab session that will provide a foundational knowledge of AI, its current applications in healthcare, and key considerations for maintaining patient safety. The session will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 6, at noon CT.