Workplace Violence Is So Bad CMS Had to Remind Hospitals They Need to Protect Patients and Staff

JUCM News has reported on individual incidents of assaults on healthcare workers and patients periodically. Unfortunately, such events happen so often that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services felt it necessary to issue a memorandum reminding hospital employers that they’re obligated to have measures in place to protect staff and patients from on-site violence. The background data may be surprising. Citing a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, CMS noted that 73% of all nonfatal workplace injuries due to violence occur in a healthcare setting. Examples detailed in the memorandum recount the sexual assault of a nurse in an understaffed unit, the death of an unruly patient that was attributed to a violent takedown, and the shooting of another disturbed patient by an off-duty police officer. Unfortunately, urgent care is not immune to such events. JUCM has published a couple of articles that could be helpful in assessing whether you’re doing what’s necessary to foster a safe environment for patients and staff. Read #MeToo in the Urgent Care Center: When the Perpetrator Is a Patient and Workplace Bullying and Its Costs to the Urgent Care Operation to learn more.