TJC & CMS News Blog
Information for BH Organizations
To read articles written prior to January 2015, please view our Newsletter Archive.
Joint Commission Standards: New Substance Use Treatment Requirements
Heads up! Does your organization provide treatment to individuals with addictions? If so, the new Joint Commission standards for substance use disorder treatment apply to you. The new requirements became effective July 1st in the Behavioral Health Care Accreditation Program. They’re applicable to organizations providing care, treatment, or services to individuals with addictions.
We queried the TJC Standards Interpretation Group to determine …
Joint Commission Surveys Resume: Update on the Rollout
As we know, regular Joint Commission surveys resumed in June. So, how’s that going? TJC recently provided an update to our Consultants Forum group. Here’s some important info they shared. Surveys Targeted to Low Risk Areas Currently, TJC is scheduling surveys in...
Joint Commission Standards for Child Welfare Agencies
Are you aware that TJC has developed new standards specifically geared to the child welfare industry? These new and revised Joint Commission standards for child welfare agencies go into effect September 13, 2020. The new standards are in the Behavioral Health Care manual. Specifically, there are 74 new elements of performance (EPs) and 12 revised EPs …
Joint Commission Surveys: Infection Control Focus
As we know, regular Joint Commission surveys are resuming in June. Thus, as you ramp up your survey readiness, it’s important to focus on areas that will be a high priority for TJC. Clearly, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, infection control will be one of those high priority areas. TJC Behavioral Health leadership confirmed this during the recent COVID-19 Webinar Q & A for Behavioral Health Care. So, what can you do to be survey-ready in this area?
Joint Commission Surveys Resume in June
It’s official! The Joint Commission announced this week they will resume regular surveys in June. As we know, TJC suspended regular survey activity on March 16th due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since that time, they have not been conducting routine triennial surveys....
Joint Commission Surveys: When Will They Resume?
As we all know, The Joint Commission suspended regular survey activity effective March 16, 2020. We covered questions from our readers on that topic in our post The Joint Commission Suspends Surveys. Since that announcement, TJC has not been conducting routine...
COVID-19: Telepsychiatry and CMS Regulations
With the onset of COVID-19, telepsychiatry use has dramatically increased. Clearly, providers are finding it a viable solution for treating patients previously seen in office settings. In response, CMS recently eased several reimbursement requirements for the use of...
COVID-19: Suicide Risk Monitoring
COVID-19 and suicide risk: definitely two challenging patient care issues. Recently, The Joint Commission (TJC) answered a question about monitoring COVID-19 patients who are a high suicide risk. Specifically, the question was whether staff doing a 1:1 observation for...
COVID-19: Behavioral Healthcare Resources
Searching for COVID-19 behavioral healthcare resources? We know as a Behavioral Healthcare organization you’re facing some unique challenges with COVID-19 in terms of your patient population and your varied settings. Clearly, you want to continue to provide your...
The Joint Commission Suspends Surveys
The Joint Commission has announced that effective March 16, 2020 they are suspending all “regular surveying.” TJC implemented this survey suspension in light of the declaration of a National Emergency regarding the COVID-19 virus. TJC wants to allow healthcare...