TJC & CMS News Blog
Information for BH Organizations
To read articles written prior to January 2015, please view our Newsletter Archive.
Preventing Copy-and-Paste Errors in EHRs
TJC now publishes Quick Safety. It’s a brief informational posting on patient safety issues. Issue 10 has an article that’s relevant as many organizations transition to an electronic health record. The topic is the practice of “copying and pasting” in EHRs.
A Look at a Suicide Prevention Tracer
For a few years now, TJC surveyors have been conducting suicide prevention tracers when applicable to the setting they are surveying. This is known as a “program specific tracer.” We recently had a client that had this type of tracer during their survey and thought it would be helpful to share their impressions.
New BH Human Resource Standards
The standards in the new Human Resources Management chapter in the 2015 Behavioral Health Care manual went into effect on January 1. Since then, many behavioral health organizations have been reviewing the new standards and their own HR processes to make sure they are compliant and also to see if they can simplify some of those processes. We’ve received some questions from readers and have provided some clarification to these issues.
Patient Safety: Evaluating your Organization’s Culture
The standard is LD.03.01.01 Element requires leaders to “regularly evaluate the culture of safety and quality.” With this standard, TJC is emphasizing that the culture within an organization directly impacts the safety and quality of care provided.
New Sentinel Event Chapter
Be aware that TJC has revised its Sentinel Event Policy and the Sentinel Event chapter in both the Hospital and Behavioral Health manuals. The revisions were effective January 1, 2015. While the essential components of the Sentinel Event Policy have not changed, there are some new terms and definitions that are important.
TJC Behavioral Health Home Certification
Another highlight of the Annual Behavioral Health Care Conference in Chicago last week was the presentation on TJC's new Behavioral Health Home Certification. Several BH organizations have achieved this exciting new certification option! So, here's some information to...
Changes to Behavioral Health Human Resources Chapter
At the TJC Annual Behavioral Health Conference in Chicago last week, a key presentation focused on the revisions to the Human Resources chapter in the Behavioral Health Manual that go into effect on January 1, 2015. So, what are the changes and what do you need to do...
Suicide Risk Assessment Now # 2 in Top Ten Compliance Issues for Behavioral Health
TJC recently published the Top Ten Standards Compliance Issues for the First Half of 2014. (See table below.) There is not much new or different from previous years but it's worth noting that suicide risk assessment has now climbed to the # 2 spot on the list with 21%...
Opportunities for Improvement
Organizations surveyed after July 1, 2014 will see a change in how their findings are written up in their TJC survey reports. There will now be an Opportunities for Improvement section included in the survey report. Included in this OFI section will be single...
Revisions to TJC Behavioral Health Opioid Treatment Standards
If your organization operates an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP), be sure to review the recent changes to the TJC Behavioral Health standards that apply to these programs. There are some changes to the following chapters: Care, Treatment and Services Medication...