|
|||||||
|
Copyright, June, 2010 1994 – For the Senior VP, the group was exactly what she’d hoped for – cost savings implemented by the participants, not her. For many of the participants, it may have been the opportunity to directly manage change during an uncomfortable period – feeling empowered. For me, at first, it was the same old pre-digested . . . → Read More: My most unusual hospital experience The suggestions stated here are based on an AAMI journal article (PDF file), Volume 40, Issue 4 (July-August 2006). It makes a case for a uniform standards presentation, including the relationships of standards to CE functions. EXAMPLE I believe that a system of non-standard compliance data sampling, and a complementary . . . → Read More: Standards For Standards Maintenance Compliance Calculation: The Standard To Adopt. Objective: Create a true JCAHO standard for calculating maintenance compliance for health care organizations in the U.S.. Example: The total number of devices whose periodic inspections are not yet due (due dates in the future), divided by the total number of devices in the maintenance program–as adjusted by . . . → Read More: “Look to use, before ornament.” – Aesop The “promise” of danger and salvation in risk assessment. The fundamentals of medial device risk reduction are local observation (interval based and corrective maintenance, testing labs), technical and administrative assessment, and information feedback networks (including monitoring, problem notification, product recalls). We have the opportunity to reduce risk when someone (technician, patient, clinician) – in a hospital, . . . → Read More: Risk and Balance [July 21, 2010 NOTE: this was written years ago concerning an incident that happened years ago. I certainly hope things like this are now less likely to occur. I must say, it left a mark on me.] My first encounter with a major safety issue involved lessons that were hard learned. The following incident occurred sometime in . . . → Read More: A personal incident “In the vacuum of hi-tech management, no one will hear you scream.” First, let me say that from where I stand, I don’t know why anyone would want to become the top hospital administrator – it’s such a risky business (no pun intended). Having said that, I want to hand over the two cents that have . . . → Read More: Open letter to a newly hired hospital CEO Be honest: does honesty pay during a survey? Questions concerning ethics and morality produce volumes of writing – what is interesting in regards to hospital surveys is that for the Clinical Engineering department, just answering the question can pose real risks. Here’s what I mean. BME may be the only hospital department (in . . . → Read More: Hide & Shriek, games with surveys Who’s responsible? The clinician? The technician? The administrator? The manufacturer? JCAHO? The Fed.? The State? The sticker? In practice, a large percentage of medical equipment in a hospital is not inspected on a regularly scheduled basis – not that the general public would assume that this is the case. The same lack of understanding may also . . . → Read More: Notification Responsibility Accountability Safety and Accountability. Medical errors may account for between 44,000 and 98,000 deaths per year in the U.S.. How do equipment failures contribute to this statistic? Safety and Accountability: who knows what? Our Accomplishments In Clinical Engineering, the over-riding issues in selling a system approach to problem analysis is–how one establishes the value in prevention. After . . . → Read More: “Our accomplishments are what you don’t see” Are they accurate? Do they last forever? What maintenance is necessary? Excerpts from AAMI, AHA, NIH, plus commentary. Cited Quotes
“The aneroid manometer is also widely used and can provide accurate measurements if properly calibrated. However, because of its construction, it is prone to mechanical alterations that can affect . . . → Read More: Aneroid Manometers How arbitrary is risk assessment? One method for calculating the necessity for equipment maintenance involves the use of a formula that takes into account variables such as how critical a device can be to a patient, location of use, and potential for failure. These . . . → Read More: Risk Assessment Criteria If I have 100, and take away 95, how many are left? Answer: 0. Here’s a methodology that virtually assures JCAHO compliance. May, 2003. . . . → Read More: Compliance Calculation This may sound unfair, but as a department head, do you feel lonely because the VP you report to knows more about floor polish than….”what’s that?…a refibillator? Defibulator?” When it comes to managing technology, I’ll bet my VOM many hospital administrators wish they were in a different business. Back to the mid 1970′s, medical technology was . . . → Read More: Administrative Oversight Addressing many ills with one pill. Many forces were at play when the fast-paced discussion broke out at the Environment of Care (EOC) meeting. How were wall mounted oral suction regulators going to be maintained? Was it really necessary to . . . → Read More: Environmental Rounds This proposal has mutated – see update. The Compliance Standard Proposal is an ongoing project. The purpose is to encourage JCAHO to set a standard for how the required compliance percent is calculated. Currently, JCAHO is opposed to setting a standard for calculation because, in their words, “Since the healthcare organizations we accredit vary widely in . . . → Read More: Compliance Standard Proposal |
|||||||
| |||||||
Comments are closed 
