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N.J. surgery centers cited for safety problems
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted May 30, 2011
More than half of the 91 ambulatory surgical centers examined by the New Jersey Dept. of Health and Senior Services in 2009 and 2010 failed to meet safety and quality standards for participating in Medicare, said a recent report from the nonprofit New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute (link).
More than 25% of the facilities were cited for "immediate jeopardy" violations that were likely to cause serious harm or death to patients. Examples of safety problems found included staff members walking through sterile areas in street clothes, reusing single-use items on more than one patient, and failing to properly sanitize beds, floors and surgical instruments.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/05/30/prbf0530.htm.
