With COVID-19 cases rising and vaccine rollout strategies growing across the country, it's critical for medical facilities to remain up to date with the latest vaccine storage requirements that will help to reduce vaccine waste. From the moment a vaccine is produced to the moment it is administered, it's important to keep the cold chain consistent within each vaccine's designated temperature ranges.
The Joint Commission (TJC) is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare. Most hospitals, Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASC), and other healthcare facilities are accredited through TJC. Once accredited, healthcare facilities are inspected at least once every three years.
The Joint Commission’s mandate is to increase the quality of patient care by elevating standards and delivery systems in healthcare facilities nationwide. TJC has always been laser-focused on infection prevention, environment of care, and emergency management. As we continue to live through the Covid-19 pandemic, inspections will be even more focused on these important elements.
As COVID-19 vaccines continue to be administered, health care systems and other entities are scrambling to build new vaccination sites. Whether repurposing existing space or building from the ground up, equipment needed for these sites must be specified, approved, ordered, assembled, and delivered quickly and efficiently. Associates at CME Corp, a national healthcare equipment distributor, are experts in capital equipment, logistics and technical services.
Ensuring the safety and protection of their frontline healthcare workers has been a real fear as lack of PPE resources, in particular the N95, meant they have been unable to adequately protect their staff and patients. Like so many other healthcare providers throughout the United States, ProHealth Care based in Waukesha County, WI, has felt the pain of PPE supply shortages that has been caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Privacy curtains are one of the top, high-risk touchpoints in “patient zones” within medical facilities. Healthcare associated infections (HAIs) already pose great risks to patients, and if you couple that with the risk of COVID-19, it is critical to ensure your privacy curtain exchanges are within protocol and in compliance with governing standards.
As the COVID-19 pandemic reared its head across the nation, all were encouraged, no - urged to socially distance from others to flatten the curve. While social distancing is essential to limiting the spread of the virus, what options does that leave for those seeking medical attention? How can our clinicians provide safe, accessible care, diagnoses, and treatment options for those encouraged to stay home? The answer is Telehealth.
As the world shut down and hospitals prepared for a pandemic, manufacturers like Metro were faced with a new challenge. How could the team at Metro help those on the front lines?
With the race for a COVID-19 vaccine quickly progressing, it is imperative that healthcare facilities prepare now to safely store these critical vaccines as soon as they are approved. Dozens of vaccines are under development, all of which have unique temperature storage requirements at various stages of manufacturing, distribution and administration.
The COVID-19 pandemic intensified before many healthcare systems were able to prepare accordingly. It disrupted the supply chain, sending healthcare systems into a frenzy as they sought after the necessary equipment. If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that resources go quickly when the world is scrambling for the same materials at the same time.
