Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 13, 2009
Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program adopts 34 safe practices - effective
Dec. 1, 2009
(CHICAGO) – Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP) has adopted the 34
safe practices endorsed by the National Quality Forum (NQF), to be implemented by
HFAP-accredited hospitals effective Dec. 1, 2009.
Although advances in patient safety have been made nationally since the NQF published
Safe Practices for Better Healthcare-2006 Update, the 2009 Update
has resulted in several important changes. Expansion, combination, and deletions
of practices have made the processes more understandable, therefore more reliable.
Seven new practices were added to NQF's set, and two practices were retired, because
other measurement strategies are being used to target the same events.
"There is no doubt that the implementation of these 34 practices will improve patient
safety," said Mike Zarski, CEO of HFAP. "We studied them in great detail, and they
are a vital part of our survey process."
Below are the new safe practices from NQF that HFAP is incorporating in new standards
throughout the manual:
Disclosure – The communication of an adverse outcome must be communicated
to the patient as soon as it is recognized, and the patient is ready physically
and psychologically to receive the information. This should occur within 24 hours.
Support of caregivers – HFAP mandates a healthcare organization
to have a program designed to provide support to their staff that are experiencing
normal stress after experiencing a highly abnormal event, so the caregiver can comfortably
return to the work environment with normal productivity.
Pharmacist leadership structures and systems – Development of policies
and procedures to minimize medication errors must be based on accepted professional
principles, external alerts and proactive review of adverse drug events. The hospital
must have a pharmacist leader that has an active role on the administration leadership
team.
Glycemic control – Unless it is known, a hemoglobin A1C should
be obtained upon admission. Both a nutritionist/dietitian and a diabetes nurse educator
are needed to assess compliance with medication, diet and other aspects of care.
At discharge, the diabetes provider must communicate with outpatient care providers
about the patient's regimen and glycemic control.
Fall prevention – Patients at-risk for falls are identified on
admission and periodically as indicated by patient status change throughout the
admission. Also mandated is a facility-wide "falls program" using evidence based
interventions to prevent and reduce patient fall-related injuries.
The Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program is authorized by CMS to survey hospitals
under Medicare. Hospitals accredited by HFAP are deemed to comply with the Medicare
Conditions of Participation for Hospitals as published by CMS.
HFAP is a non-profit, nationally recognized accreditation organization. It has been
accrediting healthcare facilities for more than 60 years and under Medicare since
its inception. Its mission is to advance high-quality patient care and safety through
objective application of recognized standards.
To view the new and updated standards, please visit the HFAP Manual Updates page
at http://www.hfap.org/manualupdates.aspx.
Contact:
HFAP Information
1(800) 202-8258