TJC & CMS News Blog
Information for BH Organizations
To read articles written prior to January 2015, please view our Newsletter Archive.
Joint Commission 2022 Standards: What’s New?
The New Year has arrived! So, are you all squared away with the Joint Commission 2022 standards effective 1/1/22? Now’s the time for a final check to be sure you’re fully compliant with the new 2022 requirements. Experience tells us when a new year kicks in, surveyors...
Joint Commission Fire Drill Requirement: Vary the Timing
An important Joint Commission fire drill requirement is you must vary the timing of your drills. Seems simple, right? Surprisingly, many organizations overlook this requirement. As a result, they get a finding on their survey. So, let’s review what’s needed to be in...
Joint Commission Tailored Surveys
Does TJC accredit your organization under more than one accreditation manual? If so, that means you get a Joint Commission “tailored survey.” In a tailored survey, TJC applies standards from different accreditation manuals based on your services and settings. For...
Behavioral Health Care Accreditation: 2021 Survey Trends
Does The Joint Commission survey your organization under the Behavioral Health Care Accreditation Program (now formally known as Behavioral Health Care & Human Services Accreditation?) If so, we have important feedback about current high focus areas we’re seeing in 2021 surveys.
New TJC Performance Improvement Requirements
Get Ready! Effective January 1, 2022, new TJC Performance Improvement Requirements go into effect. They’ll be in both the Hospital Standards PI chapter and the Behavioral Health Standards PI chapter. The new TJC Performance Improvement Requirements essentially “raise the bar” on what TJC expects to see in your Performance Improvement program. So, let’s take a look at the details …
Joint Commission BH Pain Management Standards: Training Requirements
Does TJC survey your organization under the Behavioral Health & Human Services standards? If so, it’s important to be aware of the training requirements for the Joint Commission BH pain management standards. We notice organizations sometimes overlook these...
New TJC Workplace Violence Prevention Requirements
Get Ready! Effective January 1, 2022, new TJC Workplace Violence Prevention Requirements go into effect. They apply to all TJC accredited hospitals. Currently, the requirements don’t apply to organizations accredited under the Behavioral Health Care standards. However, we recommend these organizations also review the new requirements to see what best practices they may want to adopt …
New Joint Commission Life Safety Requirements for Behavioral Health Care
Heads up! New Life Safety requirements went into effect 7/1/21 for organizations accredited under TJC’s Behavioral Health Care and Human Services program The new requirements apply to residential programs. Specifically, there are two types of buildings covered by the...
New Joint Commission Fire Drill Requirements for Behavioral Health Care
Heads up! There are new fire drill requirements effective 7/1/21. They apply to organizations accredited under the Behavioral Health Care and Human Services standards. The changes better align TJC standards with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Life Safety Code requirements for residential board and care occupancies.
Onsite Joint Commission Surveys: July 2021 Update
The number of onsite Joint Commission surveys increases each month as we move out of the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2021, TJC scheduled 784 onsite surveys. That’s the highest number since they resumed limited onsite survey activity in June 2020. In March 2021, they...