Recent Articles
No BMP coming in 2010, says George Mills
Hi everyone, it’s Scott Wallask. I got a chance to ask George Mills, senior engineer at The Joint Commission, about the future of the building maintenance program (BMP). Mills spoke at a Joint Commission Resources audio conference on Wednesday.
Mills said there is no plan [more]
Risk assessments offer good foundation for OR extinguisher choice
When it comes to which type of fire extinguisher to use in the OR, your best bet is to back up your choice with a risk assessment (but of course).
I think the key tipping point in presenting a properly conducted risk assessment is to make sure [more]
Follow-up about computers-on-wheels in corridors
I was talking to Steve MacArthur earlier today about some comments and e-mails we received regarding computers-on-wheels (COWs) in egress corridors, which Steve wrote about last week.
In his post, he noted a CMS memo that mentioned which wheeled items can remain in corridors. Two points we wanted to clarify [more]
Michael Jackson’s death forces hospital into a lockdown
Hi folks, it’s Scott Wallask. I was chatting by e-mail with Vernon Goodwin, security director at UCLA Health System in Los Angeles, about the hundreds of people that gathered outside UCLA Medical Center after Michael Jackson’s body arrived at the hospital last Thursday.
Goodwin told me the medical center [more]
How design might intermingle with infection control
Hi, it’s Scott Wallask logging in today. I’m not sure how many of you are in the midst of new construction or renovations, but I read an interesting post on a blog from architecture firm Astorino about how design features in hospitals can bolster infection control.
For example, the writer notes the usefulness of creating the shortest direct route possible from a hospital helipad to the ED.
Don’t park your wheeled computers in egress corridors
When it comes to computers-on-wheels (COWs) in corridors, the same rule applies as it would for most other items in egress corridors. Any item in a corridor (regardless of it’s purpose) may be left unattended for up to 30 minutes, after which, CMS has determined, the item ceases to be “in use” and becomes “storage.”
There are two exceptions [more]
Do you take heads or tails with the H1N1 pandemic?
The World Health Organization’s pandemic flu alert is very much like the homeland security threat level: At what point does everyone become desensitized to what the legitimate risk potential might be at any given moment?
I understand from an intellectual standpoint that the poop could really hit the rotating blades come the fall with H1N1, but [more]
CDC report notes some healthcare workers don’t embrace infection control with H1N1 cases
Hi folks, it’s Scott Wallask. Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention published an early examination of healthcare worker infections from the H1N1 swine flu virus in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Even though the report is just a snapshot of two dozen or so infected healthcare workers, it’s clear [more]
Tread carefully on the new fire watch interpretation
As you may have read already, The Joint Commission has updated its approach to fire watches by stating that fire watches would generally only be necessary during unscheduled alarm or sprinkler system disruptions.
From a consultative standpoint, I advise you to [more]
Defibrillators are life support equipment, says The Joint Commission
If this ever-changing world in which we live in has got you down, you’ll be pleased to note that once again, a succulent pearl of wisdom has issued forth from The Joint Commission: What is the meaning of life (support equipment).
For some reason it appears that there has been much consternation and controversy over [more]