• Question of the Quarter: New Definition of SE? – Click here if 1-question survey does not appear
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• Article of the Month
  
  • Patient Safety Systems New Manual Chapter for Hospitals[®] The Source, September 2014, Vol 12, #9, Pg 1 [Recommended for: 2015, LDR, PI, SFT] – This article actually contains two significant announcements.  The first relates to the new chapter dedicated to Patient Safety Systems that will be in the hospital accreditation manual effective January 1, 2015.  The chapter is not reported to include any new standards or requirements, but “is designed to clarify the relationship between Joint Commission accreditation and patient safety”. We see it as further firming of the foundation for High Reliability.  The second, related announcement is of changes to the Sentinel Event Policy.  This includes the following new definition: A Sentinel Event is a Patient Safety Event (not primarily related to the natural course of the patient’s illness or underlying condition), that reaches a patient and results in any of the following:
    
    •  Death
    •  Permanent harm
    •  Severe temporary harm
    •  Intervention is required to sustain life 
  • Click here for our REVIEW(Mbr/Guest); the FULL TJC ARTICLE(Mbr); to share a COMMENT(Mbr/Guest).

**RECOMMENDED READING:

1. PR: Top Standards Compliance Data (Jan-June, 2014) Ftxt [REF:2014, JCSC, LDR, Phrm]
2. TS: Patient Safety Systems (PS): New Hospital Chapter Ftxt [REF: 2015, CJCP, JCSC, LDR, PI, SFT]
3. TS: Improving Performance on Key Measures for Transitions of Care Ftxt [REF: JCSC, PI, SW]
4. EC: C&E: Equipment Maintenance Standards Revised Ftxt [REF: 2014, CMS, EOC, SFT]
5. EC: Test Your Standards IQ Ftxt [REF: CJCP, EOC, SFT]

**USEFUL LINKS & DOWNLOADS:

• TJC Webinar: Overcoming Challenges to Person-Centered Care/Treatment/Service Planning (47 min)
  
• RIN 1117–AB18: Disposal of Controlled Substances (Final DEA ruling), 9/9/14
• Why Organizations Self-Report Sentinel Events to the Joint Commission
  
• Effectiveness Evaluation Tool for Disaster Drills and Emergency Exercises
• New: Standards BoosterPak on waived testing standards for all accreditation programs
• APIC webinar replay: Ebola preparations for infection preventionists
• Latest TJC Blogs: Physician Leader Monthly – Leadership Blog
  

**SupporTips

• S-Tip#21: Quality Directors need the Custom Information Feed (Part 2) – Last month, we re-introduced you to Custom Information Feeds (CIF). We suggested it as a great way to keep your key staff up to date with compliance topics more specifically focused in their areas of interest/responsibility.  Just send them the link, or, if you think it would be more helpful to have a PDF/printable copy to distribute, just let us know. In addition, we also want to suggest that you can use CIFs when you are developing or reviewing policies and procedures to make sure they are consistent with the most recently published writings of TJC.  For example, there is a CIF on new requirements (for 2014 and 2015), CMS, the series of EOC Clarifications & Expectations articles as well as ones for BHC standards.  Finally, if you would like us to create a new CIF for an additional topic, please let us know (Contact Us).