Q: Does anyone know of an upcoming emergency preparedness meeting or workshop? Kristen R

A: The Greater Idaho Healthcare Coalition is holding their Regional Readiness Rendezvous on April 4-5^th, 2023 and ISU. See our Facebook page for more information.

You can also contact your county health department or department of emergency management to get involved with their disaster preparedness coalition. They can set up MOUs between your organization and the county.

Q: Does anyone know if open toe shoes are allowed to be worn by administrative employees? Is that something that would be dictated by CMS/JC/AAAHC/AAAAFS? Pain Care of Boise

A: There aren’t any standards that dictate footwear worn by administrative employees, however, CMS/JC/AAAHC/AAAAFS will confirm if your organization has a policy and if it is being followed.

Q: What is the regulation for corrugated boxes in non-patient storage areas? Ashley R.

A: The rule of thumb is any outside packaged corrugation is a no-go regardless of storage room. AAAASF does not allow corrugated boxes in any area in the surgery center. Depending on the condition of the boxes, it can also be flagged as a reason for immediate jeopardy.

Q: What do you do with a cash pay surgeon who under-books his surgeries?

A: You might consider scheduling, booking, and billing based upon historic times, and not requested times. Historic data can be re-evaluated quarterly and shared with the provider and his scheduling staff.

Have a question? Post it on our private Facebook group.

Responses are from members of IASCA. Please make sure to follow your internal policies and standards as dictated by CMS and your accrediting organization.