The Joint Commission (TJC) recently received approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to continue on as an Accrediting Organization (AO) for a period of two years. This comes as a blow to TJC, as CMS had previously approved them as an AO for a 6 year term in 2014. TJC has […]
Are Joint Commission Inspections About To Get Harder? Read More »
The Joint Commission (TJC) has indicated that it will resume its quality surveys in the month of June. Hospitals require successful TJC inspections in order to receive funds from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a major source of revenue for almost every hospital. As the initial threat of Covid-19 has passed, TJC
Joint Commission Resumes Inspections, Incorporates Remote Surveys Read More »
As reports continue to come out regarding superbug outbreaks potentially linked to endoscope-related procedures, patients may find themselves questioning the safety of undergoing procedures that use an endoscope. The mainstream media has started to coach patients on how to evaluate the value of undergoing an endoscope-related procedure and how to select a hospital that’s right
What Patients Are Looking For Before Undergoing A Scope Procedure Read More »
The government continues to question the neutrality of The Joint Commission (TJC) and other healthcare accreditation firms that also have consulting arms. In a recent speech Seema Verma, the head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), said her organization is continuing to evaluate options to increase oversight of accrediting firms. CMS has
Government Continues Scrutiny Of Hospital Accrediting Bodies Read More »
Flexible endoscopes present a unique challenge for hospitals to track and manage – these expensive medical instruments must be quickly re-processed after usage in order to provide the required instrumentation for the next procedure, yet they must undergo rigorous, time-consuming reprocessing after every use to ensure the highest levels of patient safety. Due to different
How One Hospital Avoided A Patient Safety Disaster Using Scope Tracking Software Read More »
With endoscope cleaning procedures continuing to be a focus for hospitals emphasizing patient safety, the Joint Commission has also increased its scrutiny of reprocessing protocols at its member hospitals. In order to minimize the chances of using poorly reprocessed endoscopes, hospitals should concentrate on understanding endoscope instructions for use and knowing the evidence-based guidelines put
Joint Commission Increases Scrutiny Of Endoscope Reprocessing Procedures Read More »
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently held a panel discussion to review the causes and possible solutions to safety issues arising from the use of duodenoscopes. Participants in the FDA’s General Hospital and Personal Use Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee discussed how particular aspects of duodenoscopes have led to recent
FDA Discussion Of Duodenoscopes Points To Several Causes For Safety Issues Read More »
When community hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are visited by accreditation agencies like The Joint Commission (TJC) or DNV, they are held to the same strict endoscope documentation requirements as academic medical centers. While it may seem unfair for these smaller facilities with access to fewer resources to be held to the same strict
How Community Hospitals and ASCs Can Keep Up With Endoscope Documentation Requirements Read More »
The Joint Commission (TJC), the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and several other regulatory and accreditation agencies have recently put more focus on flexible endoscopes in their guidance to US hospitals and surgery centers. It comes as no surprise, as over the last decade the number of reported outbreaks based on inadequately reprocessed
A Scope Tracking Solution That Can Grow With Your Hospital Read More »
Because endoscopes are reusable medical instruments, one of their biggest risks is the very real possibility of passing diseases to patients through contact with inadequately disinfected scopes. Though the risk of passing diseases through scopes is relatively low, the danger is always there, especially when high-level disinfection (HLD) protocols aren’t closely followed. One area where
Why Channel Drying Is So Crucial To Endoscope Infection Control Read More »