Physician Leader Monthly October 2023
New Sustainable Healthcare Certification for U.S. hospitals to launch Jan. 1, 2024
Acting upon requests from healthcare organizations that want to accelerate their sustainable practices and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, The Joint Commission is launching a voluntary Sustainable Healthcare Certification (SHC) program for both accredited and nonaccredited U.S. hospitals and critical access hospitals, effective Jan. 1, 2024. The SHC program provides a framework to help organizations expand or continue their decarbonization efforts and to receive public recognition for their commitment and achievements in contributing to environmental sustainability.The certification’s national standards and elements of performance establish needed structure, rigor and accountability to accelerate the industry’s growing sustainability efforts. The program includes setting priorities and governance for sustainability initiatives, creating baselines to measure three sources of GHG emissions, and developing an action plan to reduce them.
Effective Jan. 1, 2024: Revisions to Medication Compounding requirements for hospitals, CAHs
Licensed independent practitioner term eliminated for ALC, BHC, NCC programs
Revision to Emergency Management applicability for select hospices
New revisions to BHC program align with current terminology for addiction medicine
The Joint Commission recognizes World Patient Safety Day
Newly released
Perspectives: Physician leaders will want to see the Sentinel Event Data for the first half of 2023.
October Journal: A study in the October issue evaluates the current state of organizational efforts to assess and address clinician well-being among a national sample of 1,982 Joint Commission-accredited hospitals and 256 accredited Federally Qualified Health Centers. Clinician burnout and other forms of occupational distress are long-standing problems that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now available: 2024 NPSG 10-pack products for hospitals (For-sale product)
Blogs for docs
Refocus Your Board’s Attention on Quality and Patient Safety: Joint Commission Resources’ complimentary Board Education Resource Center provides boards and executive teams the vital support and education they need to best serve their organizations and communities, writes Kathryn K. Leonhardt, MD, MPH, CPHQ, CPPS, Principal Consultant, Joint Commission International.
In the media
The Joint Commission Launches Certification In Sustainability For U.S. Hospitals | Forbes
Note: Please see the first article above for more about the new Sustainable Healthcare Certification program
US health care workers face elevated risk of suicide, new study finds | CNN
3 ways to advance toward The Joint Commission’s new equity certification | Becker's Healthcare
Guidance for Preventing CAUTIs: Insights from the 2022 Compendium Update | Infection Control Today
US surgeons are killing themselves at an alarming rate. One decided to speak out | The Guardian