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By: Heather Comak, for HealthLeaders Media, October 1, 2009
The Joint Commission has released the 2010 National Patient Safety Goals, announcing to the field a significant reduction in the number of requirements from the 2009 NPSGs. The 2010 NPSGs for hospitals contain 11 requirements, down from 20 in the 2009. There are no new NPSGs, although NPSGs 07.03.01, 07.04.01, and 07.05.01 are now expected to be fully implemented and facilities will have to comply with them as of January 1, 2010.
By: Janice Simmons, for HealthLeaders Media, October 1, 2009
An amendment permitting health plans to reward healthy behaviors—one of the few bipartisan amendments introduced during the Senate Finance Committee hearings on healthcare reform—passed during late evening hours on Wednesday. The committee, which has several hundred more amendments to consider, has been working long hours to complete its reform measure in the next few days and to have legislation ready for the Senate floor by mid-October.
By: Cheryl Clark, for HealthLeaders Media, October 1, 2009
California's newly adopted H1N1 rules requiring widespread use of N-95 respirators by healthcare workers—perhaps the strictest in the country—has hospital officials "extremely nervous, because there's a nationwide shortage of these masks," says a spokeswoman for the California Hospital Association.
By: Les Masterson, for HealthLeaders Media, September 30, 2009
Hoping to find and enroll children who are eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebeilus announced today $40 million in grants to 69 grantees in 41 states and the District of Columbia.
By: Scott Wallask, for HealthLeaders Media, September 30, 2009
When he was one of The Joint Commission's life safety surveyors, Brad Keyes, CHSP, recalls walking into a hospital around the time of Halloween and seeing three bales of real hay and an actual scarecrow in the lobby. The Joint Commission and Life Safety Code ban combustible decorations unless they are flame-resistant, so the hay and scarecrow, while festive, were in fact a potential fire hazard that could result in a citation from surveyors.
By: Les Masterson, for HealthLeaders Media, September 30, 2009
Similar to any other political issues, as more specifics have emerged about health reform, fewer people are behind it. There are four major reasons why large-scale health reform is unlikely to happen this year.
By: Cheryl Clark, for HealthLeaders Media, September 30, 2009
Blanding, Utah, is a surprising spot for the development of one of the newest, most modern, technologically savvy small hospitals in the U.S.
By: Gienna Shaw, for HealthLeaders Media, September 30, 2009
Chances are someone in your hospital is, at this moment, saying a variation of "that's not the way we do it," "we can't," "we don't," or "the problem with that is."