are teaching them has meaning because everyone who works in healthcare is also likely to be a patient at some point. If we can inspire people to understand how important they are as an individual in the overall culture of safety equation, I think that helps them to take some ownership in the process.”
Expecting accountability from healthcare personnel runs through the continuum of professionals, from the front-line workers to the C-suite leadership.
“ One place that facilities can start is with provider-employment contracts,” Byron suggests.“ Such as when a physician is employed. In the past, healthcare professionals have been incentivized by bonuses to be as productive as possible. With payments and reimbursements shifting to value-based care, now facilities should be looking at putting in clauses for stewardship, separate from how many patients they can see and the outcomes.
When it comes to C-suite executives, I think it’ s important for the chief executive officer and the chief financial officer have a compliance officer who is outside the line of management and who answers directly to the board. That compliance office in turn needs access to the facility’ s medical director, director of nursing and other clinical leaders, so that they can acquire information
to pass on to the board so that those board members can hold the C-suite accountable. There is an increasing number of situations where an investigation is conducted by agencies such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services( CMS) or the Office of the Inspector General( OIG) to investigate potential harm, so it’ s important for hospital leadership to understand that they can be held legally accountable. Investigators want to know how high up the hierarchy did knowledge of harm potentially go and why wasn’ t the alleged harm stopped. So, accountability at all levels is critical.”
Byron says the onus for high-level accountability falls on hospital leadership.
“ It’ s up to the hospital board and C-suite executives to buy into the fact that they must develop a culture in which their staff members feel safe, and that they are given the tools that they need to perform their jobs, as well as the encouragement to maintain morale. Additionally, as I’ ve said before, they must ensure that if healthcare personnel voice a concern or admit that there was a mistake, that information is valued and they are not punished. That approach creates an environment where people are proud to be a part of that healthcare organization. It’ s also a matter of transparency related to value-based purchasing programs. Healthcare organizations are not paid for nosocomial
infections or for the cubitus ulcers and other hospital-acquired conditions that result from poor care. Quality care means safe care and treating your healthcare personnel with care, especially if they are on the edge of burnout, when they’ re not going to perform as well, and they are more likely to make mistakes. For example, healthcare personnel are already going 100 miles an hour and you’ re throwing out policies and procedures at them or saying,‘ Joint Commission is coming in, make sure you do this and this,’ but healthcare personnel should be doing these things every day, and hospital leadership should be reinforcing that all the time, not just for Joint Commission or state inspection. We should be performing certain practices all the time, and the top people in the organization need to serve as role models. For instance, when the doctor comes in to see patients, he washes his hands before he touches the patient and again before he leaves the room. Nurses and other healthcare personnel see that behavior and think,‘ If he can take a moment to do that, I can too.’ A lot of things are unsaid within a safety culture, I believe, and it’ s a matter of observation, observing that people are respecting safety, infection control, OSHA standards to make sure that people are working in a safe environment.”
The
Key is Building the Best Strategies to Prevent Infections
IP & C Consulting can assist you with:
Developing a healthcare institution’ s infection prevention program
Helping a business, organization, or sports team that needs a plan for preventing infections, including COVID-19
Melissa Travis, MSN, RN, CIC has 20 years of experience in infection prevention techniques, working in a variety of settings, including an acute-care hospital, large teaching academic medical center, inpatient rehabilitation hospital, public health setting, and even a sports team. Missy received a bachelors of science in nursing from University of Kentucky, a bachelors of science in nursing arts from Georgetown College, and a masters of science in nursing from Vanderbilt University. She is an RN in Tennessee and certified in infection control.
To contact IP & C Consulting, LLC: mobile:( 615) 807-0428 email: missytravis @ ipandcconsulting. com website: www. ipandcconsulting. com