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.

Clinical Leadership Has an Essential Role in Nursing Services for Surgical Settings
Clinical leadership is a critical role for ensuring patient safety in the surgical setting, and, in many cases, it’s a requirement of state and federal regulations.

Assessing Competencies Helps Ensure Quality and Safety of Patient Care
Competencies are not just requirements in health care. They are crucial aspects. Competencies play pivotal roles in ensuring patient safety, quality and continuity of care, and operational efficiency. As a healthcare professional, your role in identifying and addressing competence-related issues is paramount.

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.