TJC and CMS News for Behavioral Healthcare

September 2023

Greetings to Our Colleagues in Behavioral Health!

As the calendar page turns to September, it ushers in a season of change, renewal, and transition. It’s a month that bridges the gap between summer’s warmth and autumn’s coziness, making it a favorite for many. The month of September holds special significance in the field of Behavioral health Care as it aligns with various awareness campaigns and initiatives that focus on mental health, substance use disorders, and suicide prevention. September is recognized as National Recovery Month. It is, also, designated as Suicide Prevention Month with a focus on raising awareness, reducing stigma, and promoting resources for prevention, intervention and support. World Suicide Prevention day is September 10th. It is a month when organizations and communities come together to emphasize the importance of mental health and substance abuse help while recognizing these issues require year-round attention and care.

Our first topic discusses the CMS updates to the accreditation processes.

Our second article highlights the power of Trauma-informed care in Behavioral Health organizations.

We value your feedback on the newsletter. Please send us your comments and tell us what topics you’d like to see in future issues. We look forward to hearing from you! Also, feel free to forward this newsletter to your colleagues.

CMS UPDATES ACCREDITATION PROCESSES: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently issued crucial updates regarding accreditation processes for healthcare organizations. These updates, detailed in a memo dated September 15, 2023, have far-reaching implications for how Hospitals and Behavioral Health providers…

HEALING WITH EMPATHY: THE POWER OF TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE

In the realm of behavioral health, where individuals grapple with the complex interplay of mental health challenges, substance use disorders, and traumatic experiences, a compassionate approach can make all the difference. Trauma-informed care is a guiding principle that is transforming the landscape of…

Barrins & Associates provides Joint Commission and CMS consulting services for the Behavioral Healthcare industry. Our clients include psychiatric hospitals and freestanding Behavioral Healthcare organizations and we specialize in providing Survey Preparation and Continuous Survey Readiness services for the Behavioral Healthcare industry.

Barrins & Associates was founded by Anne Barrins, a Joint Commission surveyor for 13 years and is succeeded by Julia Finken with a 17 year tenure from The Joint Commission as a surveyor, the Associate Director of Business Development for the Home Care Program, and Executive Director of Business Development for the Behavioral Health Care and Psychiatric Hospital Programs.

In this Issue

CMS Updates Accreditation Processes: What You Need to Know
Healing with Empathy: The Power of Trauma-Informed Care
Tip of the Month

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TIP OF THE MONTH

CMS issued an updated State Operations Manual (SOM) Appendix A for Hospitals that you will want to be sure to download.

The usual CMS format with red text for new content continues in this edition and we did notice some red edits in the section on ligature hazards and also some new reference material. As a PDF document, the SOM is easily searchable using key words for your search criteria. In addition, the SOM format often makes use of lengthy narrative explanations, background information, and references which are useful to understanding the requirements.

Why Choose Barrins & Associates

“Thank you for the final reports including the excel spreadsheets that we can formulate our action plans from. We have already begun to put corrective actions into place. We had a very informative and engaging three days at HBH. We would like to take this opportunity to say thanks again for everything last week. We truly are a better organization because of the Barrins and Associates team. We look forward to seeing you next spring”

Brandon Caudill
Quality Assurance Director
Ohio DMHAS: Heartland Behavioral Healthcare