Articles
For information related to a specific standard, enter the standard number in the search bar below. If no result is returned, contact your account advisor for guidance.

Maryland Halts New Licenses for Some Behavioral Health Programs
A moratorium on new licenses for select behavioral health programs and services in Maryland took effect July 1, 2024.

Time Out: Working to Ensure Operating Room Mistakes Don’t Happen
Did you know that the “time-out” performed in healthcare operating rooms was adapted from the aviatio¬¬n industry’s practices? Aviation’s pre-flight checklist and communication protocols reduced errors and enhanced safety.

Heads Up, Laboratories! Dengue Virus, Novel Influenza, and More
On June 25, 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) message about an increased risk of dengue virus (DENV) infections in the United States in 2024.

Verifying Personnel Credentials Is a Crucial Task for Hospitals
Your latest hire might not be the healthcare professional you think you hired for your acute care hospital. Did you check? A multi-state scheme to sell fake nursing diplomas should serve as a crucial reminder about the importance of verifying credentials for all licensed personnel.

Medication Safety for Ambulatory Surgery Centers
In any medical setting, accurate recordkeeping and safe management are essential for drugs and biologicals. Medications must always be properly secured and provided in a safe and effective manner. ACHC Standards are specific in how your ambulatory surgery center staff should manage medications and records.

Have a Plan for When You Must Write a Plan of Correction
Nobody is perfectly perfect. Nearly all organizations surveyed for accreditation are cited for deficiencies. To get back on the right track, the organization must develop an effective Plan of Correction (POC) for each deficiency and promptly submit it for approval before a final accreditation status can be determined. It’s a process.

Is Your ASC Survey Ready? A Little Effort Can Prevent a Lot of Stress
What? You stressed? Not when you have it all under control with organization and preparation and an assortment of binders holding all the paperwork. When it’s time for your ambulatory surgery center’s accreditation survey, you and your well-informed staff will be survey ready.

Got Safety Plans? Waterborne Pathogens Can Spread Infection
As essential as water is to any hospital, this crucial element also can be a threat to patient safety. Waterborne pathogens – including multidrug-resistant organisms – can spread in seemingly innocuous ways. Having safety plans is essential.

Ambulatory Surgery Center: Generator Inspection Checklist
Standard 16.05.03 for Generator Inspection is a critical standard for maintaining a reliable generator and emergency power system.

Acute Care Hospital: Unraveling the Mysteries of Informed Consent
In the healthcare industry, informed consent has been a hot topic for decades. When is consent required? Who can obtain it? When should it be obtained? What needs to be addressed in the discussion? What elements should be in an acute care hospital’s informed consent policy? Who is legally allowed to sign the form?