Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

19 PATIENT SAFETY & OUTCOMES Sanitation, safety complaints from patients, staff spur CMS probe at Michigan hospital By Gabrielle Masson F ollowing patient and staff complaints against Mount Clem- ens, Mich.-based McLaren Macomb Hospital, CMS asked a licensing agency to investigate the hospital, state officials told WXYZ in June. e complaints alleged unsanitary conditions and a lack of COVID-19 precautions at the 288-bed facility. Since the pandemic began, the Bureau of Community and Health Services has received 35 complaints about McLaren Macomb, a Licensing and Regulatory Affairs spokesperson told WXYZ. Twen- ty-six were either closed or referred to another agency for further investigation. Six of the complaints were filed aer WXYZ's initial investigation aired in May, including one by CMS. In May, nurses from the hospital's newly remodeled emergency department spoke to WXYZ under the condition of anonymity, alleging COVID-19 protocols weren't being followed and that the waiting room was rarely cleaned. "I even tell my friends not to go there because I know they're not taking the precautions that are necessary to keep the patients safe," one nurse told WXYZ. Patients have filed complaints as well, accord- ing to WXYZ. e Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration has investigated nine different complaints about McLaren Macomb since the pandemic began, WXYZ reported. While some of the investigations were ongoing as of June, WXYZ procured the closed complaints via the Freedom of Information Act. In all completed complaints provided by the state, MIOSHA closed the investigation aer receiving written documentation from the hospital. Each time, the state considered the hospital's response satisfactory, though no MIOSHA official ever went onsite to inspect the conditions, accord- ing to WXYZ. "McLaren Macomb has been made aware of only two complaints in the past year that were investigated by LARA," Tom Brisse, presi- dent and CEO of McLaren Macomb, wrote in a June 7 statement to WXYZ. "For those two complaints, no further action has been re- quested or required of McLaren Macomb. We question the accuracy of anyone suggesting that additional complaints have been sub- mitted to LARA, since the agency does not make that information available to any individual or organization." "Our team continues to clean and sanitize our facility to ensure safe care for our patients. Our emergency department is staffed by our environmental services (housekeeping) team 24 hours a day. ER patient rooms are deep cleaned daily and cleaned between each patient. Our ER waiting room is deep-cleaned daily, with a goal of three times each day, and it's monitored throughout the day for ongoing cleaning. "Our housekeeping team checks/cleans the ER every three hours overnight. Aer the space is cleaned, our housekeeping leadership gets the work approved/signed off by the ER charge nurse. We main- tain those logs for auditing purposes. "Our housekeeping team checks/cleans the ER waiting rooms sever- al times each day (typically three to five times per day). Our house- keeping team is responsible for signing a log aer each cleaning. We also maintain those logs for auditing purposes. "In addition to the housekeeping details above, we conduct im- promptu housekeeping rounds. During these unannounced rounds the areas of focus are selected by an ER nurse." n VHA, Northwestern Medicine win John M. Eisenberg patient safety, quality awards By Erica Carbajal T he Joint Commission and National Quality Forum selected the Veterans Health Administration and Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine as win- ners of the John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award in two categories. The awards, established in 2002, "recognize major achieve- ments by individuals and organizations to improve patient safety and healthcare quality." Awards are presented in three categories: individual achievement, national level in- novation in patient safety and quality, and local level inno- vation in patient safety and quality. Below is a breakdown of the award recipients: • The VHA was recognized at the national level for its rapid naloxone initiative, which reduced opioid overdose deaths by increasing the rapid availabili- ty of naloxone. • Northwestern Medicine was the recipient of the local award for its development of an academy for quali- ty and safety improvement, a seven-month program that prepares individuals from multiple departments and professions to lead quality improvement. • David Gaba, MD, received the individual achievement award for his contributions to patient safety research, innovation and dissemination. Dr. Gaba is a staff an- esthesiologist and director of the patient simulation center of innovation at VA Palo Alto (Calif.) Health Care System, and associate dean for immersive and simu- lation-based learning at Stanford (Calif.) University School of Medicine. n

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