TJC & CMS News Blog Information
for Hospitals and Behavioral Healthcare
To read articles written prior to January 2015, please view our Newsletter Archive.
Beyond Discharge: Psychiatric Hospitals Demonstrate Compliance in Continuity of Care
Continuity of care is the hospital's consistent and coordinated provision of services to a patient over time, across different healthcare settings and providers. When done properly, it improves patient outcomes, reduces costs, and increases patient satisfaction. While...
Resilience in Behavioral Health Care – A Core Operational Requirement
Prefer Video? Video (6 min) Prefer a Podcast? Podcast (6 min) In today’s demanding behavioral health care landscape, resilience has evolved from a desirable trait into a core operational competency. For leaders of Community Behavioral Health (CBH) agencies and...
Make the Safer Way the Easiest Way: Process Redesign for Psychiatric Hospitals
Closing the Policy-to-Practice Gap In psychiatric hospitals, leadership responsibility extends beyond clinical excellence to include rigorous accreditation and regulatory compliance. Many programs have policies on paper, yet frontline workflows still allow variation,...
The Leadership Imperative in Behavioral Health
When working with Behavioral Health Organizations nationwide, one pattern stands out: having the most resources doesn't drive success, instead it's by having the strongest leaders. Leadership determines whether staff remain engaged or choose to leave, and whether...
The Five Persistent Gaps in Psychiatric Hospitals
Imagine the scrutiny a facility faces after a patient's death. When this happens, surveyors cite serious threats to patient safety—including the frequency of checks for patients in seclusion and the safety of the seclusion space—leading to a preliminary denial of...
AI Chatbots in Behavioral Health and Acute Psychiatric
The integration of AI chatbots into Community Behavioral Health (CBH) and acute psychiatric care offers a powerful opportunity to extend support and ease workforce strain, but it requires careful navigation of significant risks. Key Considerations Benefits: Chatbots...
Accreditation 360 Simplified: Your Guide for Behavioral Health & Psych Hospitals
The Joint Commission (TJC) is leading some of the most significant transformations we've seen in decades. Their "Accreditation 360" initiative, the most substantial update since 1965, signals a profound shift. It's designed to ease administrative burdens, sharpen the...
Informed Consent and Complaint Resolution for Psychiatric Hospitals
During The Joint Commission (TJC) surveys, issues with informed consent and how psychiatric hospitals handle patient complaints are among the most common and serious problems found. These issues can lead to findings, increased regulatory scrutiny, and even threaten a...
Behavioral Healthcare Facility Construction
Is a new or remodeled building in your future? Before you embark on a behavioral healthcare facility construction plan, there is one step you should take that's as essential as the architectural drawings - an accreditation and regulatory compliance review! Behavioral...
Get Ready: Major Joint Commission Standards Updates Coming July 1, 2025
The pace of change from The Joint Commission has accelerated markedly this year. With a wave of new and revised standards introduced in quick succession, These revisions signal a significant transformation in how behavioral health organizations and psychiatric...