TJC & CMS News Blog
Information for BH Organizations
To read articles written prior to January 2015, please view our Newsletter Archive.
Environmental Risk Assessment: Non-inpatient Behavioral Health Settings
The Joint Commission recently updated its FAQ on environmental risk assessments in non-inpatient Behavioral Health settings. Their guidance is essentially the same as back in 2018. However, it’s worth reviewing closely since surveyors frequently cite this issue in non-inpatient BH settings …
Joint Commission Discharge Summary Review: Be Prepared
Joint Commission discharge summary reviews are a standard part of the survey agenda for both psychiatric hospitals and behavioral health organizations. Frequently, surveyors cite deficiencies in this area on the survey report. So, let’s review the key requirements to...
Joint Commission PI Standards: Data Collection Requirements
Recently, we covered the new Joint Commission PI requirements effective January 2022. We’re now seeing a clear uptick in the amount of attention surveyors are paying to this topic. Moreover, they’re issuing Requirements for Improvement in their survey reports. While...
Joint Commission Rights Standards: New Requirements
Heads up! The Joint Commission Rights standards have new requirements effective July 1, 2022. These new requirements are in both the Hospital and Behavioral Health Care & Human Services standards. So, that means they apply to both psychiatric hospitals and any programs TJC surveys under the Behavioral Health Care & Human Services standards …
Joint Commission Performance Improvement Standards 2022
Have you addressed the new Joint Commission Performance Improvement standards that went into effect January 1st? They’re in both the Hospital manual and the Behavioral Health Care & Human Services manual. If not, now’s the time to do so. These new PI requirements...
Preliminary Denial of Accreditation: How to Respond
Your Joint Commission survey ended 10 days ago. TJC just posted your final report. The decision is Preliminary Denial of Accreditation (PDA.) Not what you were hoping for. So, what exactly does PDA mean? And, equally important, what should you do next? The good news:...
Joint Commission Surveys Getting Back on Schedule
Be prepared! Joint Commission surveys are getting back on schedule. The pandemic is easing up in many counties across the country. As a result, TJC is catching up on surveys. Joint Commission Surveys: Current Status TJC is catching up on triennial surveys in all...
Virtual Joint Commission Surveys Continue for BH Accreditation
In the Behavioral Health Care and Human Services Accreditation Program, virtual Joint Commission surveys are on the rise. At this point, many of our clients have undergone virtual surveys. So, we checked in with them to see what their experience was like. We’re...
CMS COVID-19 Staff Vaccination Requirements
As an Accrediting Organization (AO) for CMS, TJC is now surveying deemed status organizations for compliance with the CMS COVID-19 staff vaccination requirements. Specifically, TJC is surveying to the CMS Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination interim final...
NPSG 15 Suicide Prevention: Training & Competency Requirements
As we know, compliance with TJC’s National Patient Safety Goal 15 on Suicide Prevention continues to be a challenge for many organizations. Survey findings related to inadequate suicide risk assessment abound. But what about the requirements for training and...