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• 15 Questions to Ask to Ensure an Effective, Compliant Quality Program
  Bernard McDonnell, DO, a retired physician and current surveyor for Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program, identifies 15 questions surgery centers and other providers need to ask themselves to help ensure an effective and compliant quality program.
• DO recalls overnight shift at Joplin hospital during deadly tornado
  
• 20 Questions Surgery Centers Should Ask to Ensure an Acceptable and Effective
  Infection Prevention Program
  Bernard McDonnell, DO, a retired physician and current surveyor for Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program, identifies 20 questions ambulatory surgery centers need to ask themselves to help ensure they have a viable, acceptable 2011 standard of practice infection prevention and control program.
  
• Guidance for Meeting Infection Control Standards: Q&A With Steve Corl of Mackinaw Surgery Center
  Steve Corl, administrator at Mackinaw Surgery Center in Saginaw, Mich., explains how the surgery center selected an infection control officer and created greater infection control awareness to meet the standards set by the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program. Click here to read the interview.
• HFAP Accredits Five of Thomson Reuters' Top Hospitals
  "We congratulate all 100 hospitals, but we are particularly proud of the five institutions that we accredit," Mike Zarski, JD, CEO of HFAP, said in the release.
• Spartanburg Regional Newest HFAP Primary Stroke Center
  HFAP initiated a Primary Stroke Certification program in 2006 using recommendations from the Brain Attack Coalition as the foundation for its standards. Moving forward, HFAP has also endorsed the American Heart Association’s Get with the Guidelines as a tool for patient management and performance measure.
• OIG Report Evaluates Adverse Event Reporting Methods in Hospitals [PDF, 1136 KB]
  A report by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG) finds that reviewing medical records made by nurses and physicians may be the most effective way to monitor the occurrence of adverse events in hospitals.
  
  The report, titled Adverse Events in Hospitals: Methods for Identifying Events, implemented five screening methods to a random sample of 278 Medicare beneficiary hospitals over a 2-week period in 2008. The case study was performed in accordance with the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, which requires OIG to publish regular reports on efforts to better identify adverse medical events.
  
  The five methods employed in the case study were:
  • Nurse reviews of medical records;
  • Interviews of Medicare beneficiaries;
  • Two types of billing data analysis; and
  • Reviews of internal hospital incident reports.
  Each flagged event identified using one of the above methods was later reviewed by physicians. OIG determined that the most effective screening method was the nurse review, which identified the most adverse events.
  
  OIG has recommended that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) continue to research methods for identifying adverse events in the review of medical records.
  
  To read the full report, click here:
  
  http://www.oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-06-08-00221.pdf
• 20 Companies to Know (Hospital Review Magazine) [PDF, 71 KB]
• You Have a Choice in Accreditation Organizations [PDF, 287 KB]
  Why would a hospital use HFAP instead of the alternatives? What we hear over and over from leaders of hospitals accredited by HFAP is that the survey process is "user friendly and non-punitive." Standards are realistic, understandable, measurable, beneficial and achievable.
• The Big Three: A Side by Side Matrix Comparing Hospital Accrediting Agencies [PDF, 122 KB]