Same-Day Surgery – December 1, 2011
December 1, 2011
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Don't want a $1 million fine? Pay attention to regulated drugs
[Editor's note: In this issue of Same-Day Surgery, we put a special focus on compliance with regulated drugs. We've talked with some of the top pharmacy consultants in the country to find out foolproof systems for avoiding diversion and theft. These stories will help you decide where to focus your time and energy, while avoiding liability.] -
Guest Column: Substance diversion can and will happen
Controlled substance diversion is one of those things that every administrator thinks "could never happen to me. I don't have any thieves or drug abusers working here." In my 20 years of being a pharmacist consultant for surgery centers, I've heard that more times than I can count. -
Same-Day-Surgery Manager: Lessons learned with new ASC opening
We just opened our newest ambulatory surgery center (ASC) in Texas this week. We think it is our 206th, but we could be off on that number. While it is an ASC, there is some useful information for our hospital readers here. Please read on! -
The worst IT threats can come from inside
It could happen, says Eric Chiu, founder & president of HyTrust, a company in Mountain View, CA, that specializes in access control for data. It likely would be caused by someone employed or formerly employed at your organization, he says. -
Is your patient dealing with high out-of-pocket?
More often, outpatient surgery staff members find themselves in the unenviable position of telling patients about out-of-pocket responsibilities running into the thousands of dollars. -
Quarter of providers report breach in past year
About one-quarter of healthcare respondents reported that their organization has experienced a security breach in the past year, according to survey results from the Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS) in Chicago. -
Flu outbreak points to risk from ill co-workers
In the first weeks of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, a physician became ill at a Chicago hospital and tested positive for the virus. Then other healthcare workers became ill and tested positive an outbreak that began at a time when the virus was not widespread in the community. -
SDS Accreditation Update: Unintended retentions of foreign bodies increase in 2010, even higher in 2011
In 2010, the number of unintended retentions of a foreign body jumped to the highest level since The Joint Commission started tracking statistics in 1995: 133 reported events. Already, through the third quarter of 2011, there have been 136 incidents reported to the agency. -
SDS Accreditation Update: EHRs can help you comply with NPSGs
Electronic health records, or EHRs, can be valuable tools for managers as they strive to comply with The Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals. That's a clear message communicated in a recent commentary in The Journal of the American Medical Association; however, the authors take care to not only outline some best practices for EHR use, but to also review some of the challenges presented. -
SDS Accreditation Update: Compliance issue: clinical privileges
One of the accreditation standards causing the most headaches for ambulatory organizations is the one on credentialing. In fact, statistics gathered by The Joint Commission indicated that for the first half of 2011, 48% of ambulatory organizations and 56% of office-based facilities were noncompliant with standard HR 02.01.03: The organization grants initial, renewed, or revised clinical privileges to individuals who are permitted by law and the organization to practice independently. -
SDS Accreditation Update: The Joint Commission wants you to go for gold
In an era when controversial mandatory flu vaccine policies threaten to end up in some high court as a cause célèbre, The Joint Commission is urging healthcare organizations to go for the proverbial gold.