Supporting Safer Healthcare

“Those surgeons have it made.  Sure, residency is tough, but once they’re in practice they make tons of money for just a few hours of work…” Buckeye Surgeon offers up a slightly different perspective.  If you work with surgeons, or just know one, you’ll want to read “It’s Never Easy.

This intriguing job ad was posted a few weeks ago by a large health system.  It would seem that this hospital is ahead of the curve when it comes to understanding the need for resources dedicated to the data requirements of the organized medical staff. Performs related functions for tracking and data analysis of JHH [...]

I recently had the pleasure of working on a consulting project with Buchanan & Associates Consulting.  Lynn, and the consultants who work with her, have a wealth of knowledge about the ever-changing field of medical staff services.  This post is to help spread the word that the BAC web site recently moved to a new location on the web and can now be found at   [...]

“I care for you, I care about you, and I know you in ways no one else does; I am your doctor. ” The physician patient relationship is unique, sensitive, and vitally important.  Imagine for a moment, that you are the physician who made the opening statement, and that the patient to whom you spoke those words has suddenly, [...]

Are you wondering what the Joint Commission’s thought process is for Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation (OPPE) or whether specific privileges are required for the administration of moderate sedation?  Those and many other topics are covered under the Medical Staff section in JC’s Frequently Asked Questions. DNV  and AOA’s HFAP accreditation programs also have FAQ’s related to questions [...]

I’ve written before about the case of Anne Mitchell and Vicki Galle, RN’s who lost their jobs at Winkler County Memorial Hospital in Kermit, Texas after reporting concers to the Texas Medical Board about Rolando Arafiles, Jr, MD, one of the physcians on the medical staff.   What happened next  created a national firestorm, and is [...]

Prior to providing care, treatment, and services, the hospital obtains or renews orders (verbal or written) from a licensed independent practitioner. Sounds like a no-brainer right?  How difficult can it be for hospitals to comply with such a simple standard? Turns out, pretty difficult.  Nearly every hospital struggles to comply with at least one aspect of that simple-sounding [...]

The Joint Commission has released partial pre-publication standards updates for 2011, which will remain available on their web site until October 1, 2010.    The currently available pre-pubs include:   Hospital and Critical Access Hospital Standards – Language for the long-awaited MS.01.01.01 regarding Bylaws requirements - Effective March 31, 2011  Hospital Standards – Patient Centered Communication, which sets requirements for [...]

When jumbo jets collided in the Canary Islands on March 27, 1977, 583 passengers and crew died in the ensuing inferno; the worst aviation accident in history.  Investigation revealed mis-communication between the tower and cockpit, and the fact that the first-officer was apparently too intimidated by the more experienced captain to question his actions. The aviation industry responded by developing Crew Resource Management training, which focuses [...]

The Happy Hospitalist is not so happy at the moment. What has stirred up Dr. Happy’s inner curmudgeon?  Physician Credentialing. As my experience is on the other side of that particular desk, I’ve excerpted a few portions of his recent post on the topic, and added some commentary below. “For physicians to do a hospital admission [...]