News & Analysis | .accreditationqualitycenter

Healthcare Safety Leader

- Volume

Issue

Hazardous areas: What will CMS surveyors be looking for?

July 11, 2023

Accreditation & Survey Preparation

Last week, we offered a look at more of the top problems CMS told Congress it would be pressing accrediting organizations (AO) to crack down on: For the final top problem, we look at hazardous areas. ...

Inside Accreditation & Quality

- Volume

Issue

Dog days: Training, clear policies, and procedures needed when using K-9s in hospitals

July 11, 2023

Accreditation & Survey Preparation

Consider carefully if your facility wants to add K-9 teams to enhance security, especially if those dogs may be used in patient restraint. ...

Mac's Safety Space

- Volume

Issue

Mac's Safety Space: Critical Access versus Critical Mass

July 10, 2023

Accreditation & Survey Preparation

As promised last week, I wanted to take a few more moments of your time to look at the physical environment standards changes for folks managing things at critical access hospitals. ...

Accreditation & Quality Compliance Advisor

- Volume

Issue

Update: Concerns growing about CMS crackdown on survey early alerts and complaint process

June 30, 2023

Accreditation & Survey Preparation

CMS ordered all nine accrediting organizations (AO) to quit giving hospitals or other healthcare organizations even a 15-minute warning that surveyors will be onsite, and there will be no more blackou...

Medical Environment Update

- Volume

Issue

Lab Safety Man: Get leadership to act on lab safety issues

December 14, 2025

Environment and Facilities, Laboratory Safety, Leadership & Finance, Workplace safety

As a lab safety professional, it can be frustrating to see safety issues go unattended, especially after they have been reported. The apparent roadblocks to solutions may be a lack of funds, busy or d...

Patient Safety Monitor Journal

- Volume

Issue

Check hand sanitizer compliance now that COVID-19 PHE waivers have ended

December 14, 2025

Accreditation & Survey Preparation, Physical environment, Infection Control, Patient Safety

“Folks ended up installing additional dispensers wherever they felt the need—some of which made sense, some of which, not so much—and had as much on hand as they could get ahold of. Lots of folks ende...

Accreditation & Quality Compliance Advisor

- Volume

Issue

The Exec: Cultural transformation key element of improving CMS Stars ranking

December 14, 2025

Accreditation & Survey Preparation

To improve the hospital’s CMS stars ranking, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens set a clear vision and the goal of wanting to be a regional center of excellence, says Chief Medical Officer Amir Jaffer, MD, M...

Accreditation & Quality Compliance Advisor

- Volume

Issue

Eight steps to ensuring a smooth transition between EHRs

December 14, 2025

Patient Safety, Policies and Procedures, Cybersecurity & Technology, Quality & Errors

EHR platforms are complex and costly and require a lot of planning to make sure they're a good fit for a health system. Here are 8 recommendations for organizations looking to transition from one EHR ...

Healthcare Safety Leader

- Volume

Issue

CMS report to Congress, part two: Smoke barriers, emergency lighting, combustible storage all targets

July 04, 2023

Accreditation & Survey Preparation

A look this week at what CMS has targeted with Fire and Smoke Barriers, Essential Electrical Systems, Flammable and Combustible Storage, and Emergency Lighting. ...

Inside Accreditation & Quality

- Volume

Issue

Survey survival: Act to correct deficiencies before team departs for smoother plan of correction

July 04, 2023

Accreditation & Survey Preparation

Have a plan of action to correct as many deficiencies as possible before the survey team leaves your facility, recommends a compliance manager at a Midwest hospital that was surveyed earlier this spri...

Hazardous areas: What will CMS surveyors be looking for?

Dog days: Training, clear policies, and procedures needed when using K-9s in hospitals

Mac's Safety Space: Critical Access versus Critical Mass

Update: Concerns growing about CMS crackdown on survey early alerts and complaint process

Lab Safety Man: Get leadership to act on lab safety issues

Check hand sanitizer compliance now that COVID-19 PHE waivers have ended

The Exec: Cultural transformation key element of improving CMS Stars ranking

Eight steps to ensuring a smooth transition between EHRs

CMS report to Congress, part two: Smoke barriers, emergency lighting, combustible storage all targets

Survey survival: Act to correct deficiencies before team departs for smoother plan of correction

Resource/w tools selected

STET CMS & tools

OSHA Dental Facilities Update - November 2023

OSHA Medical Facilities Update - November 2023

Tab 2, Medical Facilities OSHA Manual- August 2023

Tab 2, Dental Facility OSHA Manual- August 2023

Chapter 2: Chapter Format and Tracer Planning