Articles
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Temperature, Humidity, and Airflow in Your ASC Operating Rooms
Maintaining optimal temperature, humidity, and airflow in your ambulatory surgery center’s operating rooms isn’t just about comfort; it’s a critical measure to prevent infections, safeguard sterile fields, and ensure that equipment functions properly.
Building an Annual QAPI Plan That Drives Results
In an Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC), a Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) Program is more than just a regulatory requirement.
Mastering Informed Consent
Questions posed during ACHCU’s monthly Coffee Chat live webinar often serve to reveal opportunities to extend education and develop additional resources for ACHC-accredited hospitals. In March 2025, the topic was medical record documentation.
Strengthening Pharmaceutical Compliance in ASCs
Safe pharmaceutical practices in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are essential to patient safety, regulatory compliance, and high standards of care. ACHC Standard stipulates that drug preparation and administration align with federal and state laws. This standard is...
Advance Directives Require Important Considerations
Advance directives rank among the most important legal documents in the healthcare setting. They come into use when a patient is incapacitated and cannot provide informed consent for care or cannot actively participate in care planning. Among the various types of advance directives, the most common in the healthcare setting are the living will and the durable power of attorney for health care.
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.
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.
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.