News
For a copy of our most current newsletter, click here.
JCAHO 2010 Patient Safety Goals
The
Joint Commission's Board of Commissioners has approved the 2010 National
Patient Safety Goals. The purpose of the Joint Commission's National Patient
Safety Goals is to promote specific improvements in patient safety. The goals
highlight problematic areas in health care and describe evidence and
expert-based solutions for these problems. Recognizing that sound system
design is intrinsic to the delivery of safe, high-quality care, the goals
focus on system wide solutions, wherever possible. Beginning January 1, 2010
all accredited organizations that provide care relevant to these goals and
requirements will be expected to comply with them.
The 2010 Goals for hospital accreditation include improvements in:
- Accurate Patient Identification
- Effective Communication
- Safe Medication Use
- Reduce the Risk of Infections
- Reconciliation of Medications Across the Continuum of Care
- Reduce Patient Harm Resulting from Falls
- Patients' Active Involvement in their Own Care
- Identifying Patients At-Risk for Suicide
- Recognition and Response to Changes in a Patient's Condition
- Prevention of Wrong Person, Wrong Site, Wrong Procedure Surgery
CMS Celebrates National Nurses Week, May 6-12, 2009
"When
you're a nurse you know that every day you will touch a life or a life will
touch yours." ~Author Unknown
The Theme for National Nurses Week 2009, "Nurses: Building a Healthy America", reflects the commitment nurses make every day in building a healthy America for the public we serve. National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6, also known as National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
Often described as an art and a science, nursing is a profession that embraces dedicated people with varied interests, strengths and passions because of the many opportunities the profession offers. As nurses, we work in emergency rooms, schools, clinics, and homeless shelters, to name a few. We have many roles – from patient care provider to educator to researcher – and serve all of them with passion for the profession and with a strong commitment to patient safety. All of us at CMS applaud the great work you do every day!
CMS Raises $25,000 for Health Care for the Homeless
We
proudly presented Health Care for the Homeless with a check for $25,000 on
December 13, 2008 at the annual Holiday Gala. The mission of Health Care for
the Homeless is to provide health related services, education & advocacy to
reduce the burdens of homelessness.
Over 200 CMS associates, hospital clients and friends danced the night away at the 1840s Ballroom in downtown Baltimore. The goal to increase the efforts of 2007 was exceeded, thanks to all of our generous associates and clients who poured open their hearts and wallets.
The evening included a gourmet menu by Carlton Caterers, great dance music by Music Masters and the ever popular silent auction. A special thanks to Deb Kennedy for all of her dedicated effort to make the silent auction such a success! Thank you to all of the contributors who donated items for the auction. The evening would not have been complete without the conga line led by none other than CJ Marbley.
Check out the photo gallery in our Events Archive!
CMS Partners with Vendor Manager and Union Memorial Hospital
Effective
on December 8, 2008, Union Memorial Hospital began outsourcing the
management of its use of supplemental agency personnel to the vendor
management division of Nursefinders. CMS has partnered with UMH and
Nursefinders to continue to provide uninterrupted staffing support for the
hospital. All CMS associates may continue to book shifts at Union Memorial
as usual.
UMH staffing requests for nursing and allied health will be sent electronically to all contracted agencies at the same time. For CMS to respond immediately to secure shifts for our associates, we are requesting that our associates keep their availability current and up-to-date. You may call, fax, update in TSS, or email availability to CMS. We also request permission to automatically schedule associates at UMH based on current availability without calling associates first to verify due to the increased time sensitivity of shifts.
UMH is permitting associates to book shifts through one agency only. All associates will need to select one agency through which to work at UMH. We are confident that CMS is the most time responsive agency and our scheduling team will work diligently to secure shifts for our associates. As a result of our reputation and long-standing relationship with the hospital, we anticipate increased temporary staffing opportunities. Please do not hesitate to call our office if you have any questions or concerns.