Author Archive for Scott Wallask
Scott Wallask is senior managing editor for HCPro's Hospital Safety Center (www.hospitalsafetycenter.com) and the award-winning newsletters, Briefings on Hospital Safety and Healthcare Life Safety Compliance. He has written about healthcare for HCPro since 1998, with a focus on occupational and building safety, emergency management, fire protection, and infection control. Prior to joining HCPro, he worked as a reporter for several newspapers in eastern Massachusetts. He holds a BA in print journalism, magna cum laude, from Northeastern University in Boston. Contact Scott at swallask@hcpro.com.
The Joint Commission publishes an amended fire watch policy
Hi everyone, it’s Scott Wallask, and from what I’ve read this week, The Joint Commission’s new fire watch policy is bound to shake things up a bit.
The June issue of Joint Commission Perspectives lays out when and how the accreditor expects hospitals to institute fire watches — but in doing so, the commission seems to pull back [more]
Symposium coverage: Talking life safety with your boss
As we get ready to close out the 3rd Annual Hospital Safety Center Symposium, Brad Keyes of The Greeley Company took attendees through a whirlwind of life safety compliance tips.
One idea that seemed particularly relevant these days: [more]
Symposium coverage: Using near misses to your advantage
Marge McFarlane, owner of Superior Performance Consulting in Eau Claire, WI, is discussing environment of care education with attendees at the 3rd Annual Hospital Safety Center Symposium in Las Vegas this morning.
A great opportunity for eduation is [more]
Symposium coverage: Give a wide embrace to EM.01.01.01
Think beyond just police and fire departments when you consider collaborating with community partners, said Joseph Cappiello, chair of Cappiello & Associates in Elmhurst, IL, who spoke at the 3rd Annual Hospital Safety Center Symposium today.
Joint Commission emergency management standard EM.01.01.01 requires the hospital to engage with community partners in developing the medical facility’s hazard vulnerabilty analysis (HVA). Be sure to include your vendors in that discussion because they are appropriate parties to help you determine HVA results, Cappiello said.
Hospital Safety Center Symposium now underway with Dean Samet
Hi folks, it’s Scott Wallask logging in from the 3rd Annual Hospital Safety Center Symposium, which just opened this morning at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Dean Samet, director of regulatory compliance services for Smith Seckman Reid in Nashville, is at the podium discussing The Joint Commission’s [more]
Attention symposium attendees: Pre-registration begins Wednesday evening
Hi everyone, it’s Scott Wallask checking in. I’d like to encourage those of you attending the 3rd Annual Hospital Safety Center Symposium in Las Vegas this week to consider pre-registration on Wednesday evening in advance of Thursday morning’s opening session.
Our pre-registration takes place from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the conference center at Caesars Palace. The time you save on Thursday morning could mean some extra sleep, an early chance to catch up on e-mails, or a few added moments to wait in line for your favorite cup of coffee.
By the way, the Hospital Safety Center Symposium sessions take place in the Pisa/Palermo rooms of the conference center.
Life safety sessions at the Hospital Safety Center Symposium are timely considering Joint Commission data
Hey, it’s Scott Wallask, and I almost can’t believe we’re in the single digits on our Hospital Safety Center countdown clock as we close in on next week’s 3rd Annual Hospital Safety Center Symposium. I’ve been watching that countdown tick away since last year.
Given that The Joint Commission’s former EC.5.20 (which required compliance with the Life Safety Code and has since splintered into the life safety standards) was the top cited standard in hospitals in the first half of 2008, I have to think Brad Keyes’ two life safety sessions at the symposium will have the full attention of attendees. I hope to see you at the symposium.
At this point, it’s an unfair conclusion to say hospitals aren’t prepared for pandemics
Hi, it’s Scott Wallask, and boy do I feel for all of you putting in long hours because of the swine flu outbreak. A safety director at a hospital system in Columbus, OH, summed it up to me in a few words: “We are swamped.”
It sounds like some hospitals are teetering on the brink of being overrun with patients, many of whom ironically aren’t infected with H1N1 but think they might be. There was a hell of an article in the Los Angeles Times this morning discussing some of these plights.
However, I take issue with one of the overriding themes of the article, that being [more]
Hand gel use may bump up with attention on swine flu
Hi folks, it’s Scott Wallask again. When you start thinking of potential swine flu outbreaks, it seems natural to consider your inventories of personal protective equipment, ventilators, and medical supplies. However, one substance I didn’t really think too much about in this regard until I read it in an Associated Press story this morning was alcohol-based hand gel.
Hand gel is probably becoming a hot commodity in hospitals during [more]
Swine flu cases grab the attention of emergency planners
Hi, it’s Scott Wallask. For those who haven’t bookmarked it yet, check out the CDC’s web page on the swine flu investigation, as it features the latest recommendations for healthcare facilities.
I was talking to an emergency planner at a Pittsburgh-area health system today about the swine flu situation, and he told me he is holding daily meetings with hospital and community reps from infection control, administration, physicians, corporate communications, human resources, county public health, the local school of public health, and others.
