The final report on the three-year recovery audit contractor (RAC) demonstration project for hospitals shows that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made "a lot of important changes," says Don May, vice president of policy for the American Hospital Association (AHA).
With reports that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) told its surveyors to contact public health departments immediately if they see flagrant breaches of infection control, one surgery center has developed a new policy and procedure on infection control breaches.
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that hand rubbing with a liquid aqueous alcoholic solution can be safely used as an alternative to traditional surgical hand scrubbing.
When we start a new business or invest in a going concern, most of us do so in anticipation of some reward for our efforts. The key to continuing those efforts usually involves some profits (cash).
Accreditation survey. These two words elicit many different reactions, but everyone agrees that preparing for and undergoing a survey is time-consuming, stressful, and sometimes unpleasant. Sometimes, the overwhelming question is, where do you start?
Many outpatient surgery managers have thought theyd never have to be prepared for anything worse than a single patient crashing in the OR. However, with the current threat of violence, you have to be prepared for disasters of every type and proportion.
Alcohol-based products are effective for preoperative cleaning of surgical staff members hands when preceded by use of a nonantimicrobial soap, according to guidelines released recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, guideline for hand hygiene in health-care settings, recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and the HICPAC/SHEA/APIC/IDSA Hand Hygiene Task Force, MMWR 2002; 51(RR16):1-44.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a case of West Nile virus infection in a Mississippi resident diagnosed almost four weeks after receiving multiple units of blood during a surgical procedure.
The National Alliance for the Primary Prevention of Sharps Injuries in Carlsbad, CA, has a new web site that categorizes needlestick safety devices based on whether the device offer primary or secondary prevention against needlesticks.
