Waterloo Healthcare Newsletter – June 2026
We have been very busy over the past few months. Our team attended more than half a dozen conferences across the United States and Canada, and it was wonderful meeting so many clinicians, administrators, partners, and industry colleagues along the way. Be sure to check out some photos from these events below.
Why Hospitals Are Moving to iCLASS® Credential Technology for Medical Cart Access
In today's healthcare environment, protecting medications, controlled substances, patient information, and critical supplies has become increasingly important. Medical carts are no longer simply storage devices—they are mobile workstations that contain valuable assets and often provide access to medications and patient care documentation.
Crash Cart, Code Cart, Emergency Cart: A Guide to the Terminology
When a medical emergency strikes, the life-saving equipment used in U.S. healthcare settings is almost always the same, but called different things. This can cause confusion and complications for clinicians, documentation teams, and procurement staff. The carts vary in terminology, referred to as crash carts, code carts, resuscitation carts, or emergency carts, depending on the facility. This guide walks through the different terminology used for these carts, why the terms vary, when they are interchangeable, and the history of the crash cart.
Cross-Training in Crisis: How Physical Environment and Equipment Organization Support Emergency Response
Preparing clinicians for unfamiliar roles and situations can be an essential part of ensuring readiness in crises, and cross-training programs are an effective way to accomplish this. Part of this preparation includes maintaining a physical environment that can support a trained clinician at the moment of crisis. Cross-trained clinicians coming into an unfamiliar unit have none of the environmental familiarity that permanent staff develop over time. Every source of disorganization will be more difficult for them to navigate than it would be for someone who works in that unit every day.
Waterloo Healthcare Newsletter – March 2026
In this edition of our newsletter, we delve into what The Joint Commission (inspection body) looks for, so you can be sure your carts are ready when the time comes for inspection. We even include an interactive feature at the end so you and your team can do a pop quiz or simply review the most important points in a concise, convenient format utilizing the accordion method. After you read a question, just click on the plus sign to reveal the answer. The best part? For any incorrect or incomplete answers, just scroll up and re-read the subject matter. We plan to add this interactive feature to future articles, and hope it proves to be a useful and efficient synopsis tool.
Meeting Joint Commission expectations with your Emergency Code Carts…
The Joint Commission is an independent, nonprofit organization that accredits U.S. healthcare organizations to promote patient safety and quality of care. When it comes to code carts, The Joint Commission looks for simple but critical things: that carts are consistently stocked, properly organized, securely locked, and checked on a routine basis. Their goal is to ensure that in an emergency, staff can access the right equipment and medications immediately, without confusion, delays, or missing items.