ACHC

Drug diversion is a known risk in health care but one that is difficult to quantify because it so often is unreported. It has been decades since the AMA first termed addiction as a disease in the 1980s1 and yet there is still a widespread tendency to demonize or disdain the dependent individual leading to guilt, shame and secrecy.

Good lighting is crucial to the success of surgical procedures and the safety of the patient. Proper lighting in the ORs and the sterilization areas can help to reduce the risk of infection by allowing medical staff to accurately identify medications and properly clean and disinfect or sterilize equipment and surfaces.

How can you protect your organization from those seeking to work in health care with falsified certifications of education and/or experience? The first step is to develop and follow a robust and comprehensive medical credentialing program.

Best practice steps to protect patients from harm related to SSIs can be categorized as policy-driven, procedure-driven and resource-driven.

In surgical practice, broadening awareness of environmental impacts on infection risk can be a game-changer.

Do you have enough storage space to serve the needs of your surgical teams? When ACHC surveys hospitals and ASCs, most answer that question with a resounding, “No!” Even single specialty surgical settings seem to run out of space as the equipment and supplies needed for procedures increase in quantity (often) and size (sometimes). Where to store items in a way that maintains their integrity and accessibility can be a struggle.