34
QUALITY
&
ACCREDITATION
The Joint Commission Names Top 10 Most
Challenging Standards
By Eric Oliver
T
he Joint Commission named its top 10
most challenging standards in 2016 for
ASCs.
e Joint Commission analyzed data from
617 respondents and released the findings.
1. Failed to reduce the risk of infections asso-
ciated with medical equipment, devices and
supplies — 53 percent
2. Failed to grant initial, renew, or revise clini-
cal privileges to individuals who are permit-
ted by law and the organization to practice
independently — 47 percent
3. Failed to maintain fire safety equipment or
fire safety building features — 37 percent
4. Failed to safely store medication — 36 per-
cent
5. Failed to inspect, test and maintain medical
equipment — 36 percent
6. Failed to inspect, test and maintain emer-
gency power systems — 32 percent
7. Failed to safely manage high-alert and haz-
ardous medications — 31 percent
8. Failed to manage risks related to hazardous
materials and waste — 30 percent
9. Failed to address the safe use of look and
sound-alike medications — 30 percent
10. Failed to manage risks associated with
utility systems — 29 percent n
5 Points on Improving Physician
Compliance to Hand Hygiene Practices
By Mary Rechtoris
H
ealthcare organizations that employ a peer pressure approach to
hand hygiene can increase physicians' compliance.
Susanna Gallani, PhD, an assistant professor of business administra-
tion at Boston-based Harvard Business School, discussed her study in Har-
vard Business Review.
Dr. Gallani analyzed a California hospital that implemented a 90-day hand
hygiene improvement initiative. Hospital employees would receive a $1,200
bonus if they met the target performance. However, California law prohibits
physicians from qualifying as hospital employees, so the hospital employed
other strategies to increase provider compliance.
Here are five points:
1. The hospital would write physicians' names on paper if they had good
hand hygiene practices. Employees would post these names on a wall, as
well.
2. The chief nursing office sent congratulatory emails to those top perform-
ing physicians and would send "respectful but firm" reminders to physicians
to remind them of the collective goal.
3. Following the 90 days, Dr. Gallani found employees who received bo-
nuses improved their hand hygiene performance during the initiative, but
their performance became gradually worse than before the initiative.
4. Physicians showed a slower performance improvement during the 90
days, but had a substantially better hand hygiene performance over the
remainder of the observation period.
5. Dr. Gallani writes in the Harvard Business Review, "While monetary incen-
tives generated a more pronounced improvement, it was short lived. On the
other hand, peer pressure techniques generated a change in organizational
behavior that persisted beyond the removal of the incentive." n
AAAHC. info@aaahc.org / www.aaahc.org / (847)
853-6060 (pg. 13)
ASD Management. asdmanagement.com
(pgs. 20-23)
Boston Scientific. endoscopysolutions@bsci.
com / www.bostonscientific.com/endoscopysolutions
/ (pg. 3)
CONMED. conmed.com / (800) 237-0169 (pg. 2)
eSutures. info@esutures.com / www.esutures.
com / (888) 416-2409 (pg. 19)
gMed. gmed.com/endoworks / (954) 541-8240
(pgs. 14-17)
Meridian Surgical Partners. www.meridi-
ansurgicalpartners.com / (615) 301-8140 (pg. 24)
National Medical Billing Services. info@
nationalascbilling.com / www.nationalascbilling.com
/ (866) 948-8001 (pg. 7)
Pacira. www.exparel.com / (855) 793-9727 (pgs.
9-10)
Stryker. strykeraim.com (pgs. 25-28)
VMG Health. www.vmghealth.com / (214)
369-4888 (pg. 36)
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