The March/April issue of Healthcare Executive magazine features an article authored by The Joint Commission’s Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, MSHA, MACP, FACMI, president and chief executive officer, and James I. Merlino, executive vice president and chief innovation officer. The article, “Protecting patient privacy: Answering the call to provide a framework for using de-identified data,” highlights the need for standardized processes and good governance practices to protect patient privacy and data security – and to ensure that algorithms, the foundation of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are examined to prevent systematizing bias.
The article goes on to describe how The Joint Commission’s new Responsible Use of Health Data™ Certification offers guidance on best practices and tests that the requisite policies and procedures are in place. The certification validates that organizations are demonstrating sound practices to improve care while protecting patient interests.
The Joint Commission and Kaiser Permanente are now accepting applications for the 2024 Bernard J. Tyson National Award for Excellence in Pursuit of Healthcare Equity. The award program will recognize a healthcare organization that led an initiative that achieved a measurable, sustained reduction in one or more disparities.
Bernard J. Tyson, the late CEO and chairman of Kaiser Permanente, worked tirelessly to address the disparities that plague the U.S. healthcare system. Now in its fourth year, the award honors Tyson’s legacy by presenting organizations the opportunity to earn national recognition for their efforts to improve healthcare equity, as well as share best practices and lessons learned with thousands of organizations across the country.
This year’s application period is open until Tuesday, April 30, at 11:59 p.m. CT. There is no cost to apply.
Please visit the Tyson Award webpage for eligibility criteria, application resources, and to submit an application.
A study featured in the March 2024 issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety (JQPS) precisely measures nurse and patient care assistant exposure rates to patient aggression in real time, shedding light on prevention and management measures.
“Our study is critically significant as it unveils the staggering extent of violence faced by healthcare workers,” says Joanne DeSanto Iennaco, PhD, APRN, PMHNP-BC, FAAN, FFNMRCSI, principal investigator of the study, professor of Nursing and Psychiatry at Yale University School of Nursing and School of Medicine, and director of the Post-MSN Clinical DNP Program at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. “Of great concern, our findings demonstrate that staff are confronted with aggressive behaviors practically every time they step foot in the hospital. Furthermore, our investigation reveals the distressing impact of these behaviors, as staff commonly report heightened anxiety and feeling threatened.”
A total of 179 aggressive events were recorded, resulting in a rate of 2.54 aggressive events per 20 patient-days. Patient verbal aggression rates (2.00 events per 20 patient-days or two events daily on a 20-patient bed inpatient unit) were higher compared to physical aggression rates (0.85 events per 20 patient-days). The staff aggression exposure rate was 1.17 events per 40 hours worked.
Readers will also be interested in an accompanying editorial by James P. Phillips, MD, FACEP, associate professor, Emergency Medicine, and section chief and fellowship director, Disaster and Operational Medicine, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, D.C, and chair, Disaster Medicine Section, American College of Emergency Physicians.
The March issue is part of JQPS’ 50th anniversary celebration. Each month, a topic of importance to the Journal and The Joint Commission will be highlighted. In addition to the articles described above, the March issue has an open-access list of WPV articles previously published in the Journal, as well as interviews with experts on WPV.
Also featured in the March issue are:
- The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety 50th Anniversary Article Collections
- Low Rate of Completion of Recommended Tests and Referrals in an Academic Primary Care Practice with Resident Trainees (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston)
- Internal Medicine Virtual Specialist Assessment Program Reduces Emergency Department Transfers from Long-Term Care (Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario)
- Contextual Factors Influencing the Implementation of a Multifaceted Intervention to Improve Teamwork and Quality for Hospitalized Patients: A Multisite Qualitative Comparative Case Study (Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago)
- Creating a Statewide Assessment and Support Service to Prevent Infections in Patients Receiving Hemodialysis (Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Lansing, Michigan)
- Improving Supervisor Confidence in Responding to Distressed Health Care Employees (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota)
- A Combined Assessment Tool of Teamwork, Communication, and Workload in Hospital Procedural Units (Emory Healthcare, Atlanta)
- Digital Stockpiling: An Innovative Strategy for Preparedness and Medical Supply Chain Resilience (Commentary)
For more information, please visit the JQPS website.
Effective July 1, 2024, the glossary definition of “designated equivalent source” will be revised in the “Glossary” (GL) chapter of the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual (CAM) for ambulatory care organizations, behavioral health care and human services organizations, critical access hospitals, hospitals, and office-based surgery practices. The revised term will publish online in the spring 2024 E-dition® update to the accreditation manuals for those listed programs. The revisions help clarify the intent of the term and are shown below with underline for additions and strikethrough for deletions.
designated equivalent source Selected agencies that have been determined to maintain a specific item(s) of credential(s) information that is identical (that is, equivalent) to the information at the primary source. Examples of designated equivalent sources are listed below. Some of the agencies may provide credential(s) information and services beyond what is identified below. Listing the names of these agencies does not constitute an endorsement. In addition, the use of the word equivalent only refers to an organization’s ability to provide information that is identical to the primary source. “Equivalent” does not imply that any two organizations on the list have verification processes that are of equal rigor or quality.
Designated equivalent sources Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
- The American Medical Association (AMA) Physician
MasterfileProfessional Data for verification of a physician’s United States and Puerto Rican medical school graduation and postgraduate education completion - The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) for verification of a physician’s board certification by an ABMS member board
- The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) for verification of a physician’s graduation from a foreign medical school
- The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Physician Database for pre-doctoral education accredited by the AOA Bureau of Professional Education; postdoctoral education approved by the AOA Council on Postdoctoral Training; post-doctoral education approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME); and Osteopathic Specialty Board Certification
- The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) for all actions against a physician’s medical license
- The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) Profile for physician assistant education, provided through the AMA Physician Profile Service (https://profiles.ama-assn.org/amaprofiles/)
- National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) certification
- The National Board of Physicians and Surgeons (NBPAS) for verification of a physician’s NBPAS board certification
Some of the agencies may provide credential(s) information and services beyond what is identified above.
For questions regarding the revised definition, please contact the Department of Standards and Survey Methods.
The Joint Commission added two product categories to its electronic application (E-App) for home care services that supply durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS). The added categories are:
- Lymphedema Compression Treatment Items – Custom, S04
- Lymphedema Compression Treatment Items – Non-Custom, S04
The additions were made in response to the Nov. 13, 2023, Federal Register, in which the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized regulations related to custom-fitted garments and other compression garments for the treatment of lymphedema. Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, CMS began covering the following lymphedema treatments for Medicare Part B patients:
- Custom (uniquely sized and shaped to fit the exact dimensions of the affected extremity of a person from measurements) and non-custom compression garments, including those for daytime and nighttime use, which offer different levels of compression.
- Compression bandaging systems and supplies provided during the initial decongestive phase and maintenance phases of treatment.
- Gradient compression wraps with adjustable straps.
- Necessary accessories for gradient compression garments and wraps including: aids for donning and doffing items for different body parts, fillers, lining, padding, and zippers.
Note that organizations that revise their E-App to comply with these new product categories may require an unannounced on-site survey prior to the next triennial accreditation survey.
Please contact your account executive with any questions.
Refreshed Accelerate PI™ Dashboard Reports are available for primary and comprehensive stroke centers to provide updated performance measurement data on the quality measures selected for advanced PSC and CSC certification programs. The refreshed reports contain data through the third quarter of 2023.
The dashboards provide performance measurement data on all the measures that PSCs and CSCs report using the Certification Measure Information Process (CMIP). The reports are intended to be a springboard for conversations on performance measures and quality improvement during the certification process, as well as a guide to support an organization’s quality journey.
Reports are located under the “Resources and Tools” menu below the DASH heading in Joint Commission Connect®. Users must select “Certification” on the home screen prior to accessing the menu.
Is your practice interested in improving appropriate use of antibiotics in telemedicine? The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is currently recruiting practices for a no-cost, 18-month program beginning in June 2024 to promote appropriate antibiotic use while maintaining patient satisfaction and reducing potential side effects in patients seen via telemedicine.
Practices will receive training and one-on-one expert coaching to implement sustainable improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of infections in the telemedicine environment. Practices will learn how to improve workflow efficiencies and participants will be eligible for continuing education units (CEUs), continuing medical education (CME) credits, and American Board of Internal Medicine maintenance of certification (MOC) points.