Behavioral Healthcare Compliance for Accreditation and Regulatory Requirements: Updates and Resources
See behavioral healthcare compliance posts below from our recent newsletters and access our newsletter archive and behavioral healthcare industry links.
Proposed Standards Revision for Behavioral Health Outcome Measures
TJC has published proposed standards revisions for the Behavioral Health Accreditation Program related to outcomes measurement. Currently, there is one standard in the Behavioral Health manual related to outcomes. That standard is CTS.03.01.09 which requires BH organizations to assess the outcomes of care, treatment, or services provided to clients. It requires that organizations monitor the progress of individuals served in achieving their identified goals. It also requires that the organization aggregate outcomes data and evaluate outcomes across the population served.
Surveying Active Treatment in Psychiatric Hospitals
Psychiatric hospitals that use TJC accreditation for deemed status and have been surveyed in the last few months have experienced a shift in focus. Many report that their recent TJC survey felt more like a CMS survey. So, as surveyors conduct tracers on the inpatient units, they are observing the milieu and the implementation of the program schedule to determine if active treatment is being delivered. In light of this, we encourage you to conduct your own tracers and take a look at the programming being delivered on your inpatient units.
Trauma Assessment: Survey Findings and Resources
As we track survey results for our clients, we see that some behavioral health organizations continue to be challenged by the TJC requirements for trauma assessment. There have been several survey findings on this topic in 2015 and 2016. So, let’s recap the requirements and take a look at some resources.
TJC Introduces New SAFER Matrix Scoring Methodology
We’ve been keeping you updated on changes to the scoring methodology and survey process for psychiatric hospitals that use TJC accreditation for deemed status. As previously discussed, the changes to the scoring methodology are effective for psychiatric hospitals as of June 6, 2016. TJC has now formally announced that these changes will go into effect for all other accreditation programs (including Behavioral Health) effective January 1, 2017.
TJC Update on Texting of Orders
Up until now, it has been TJC’s position that the texting of orders did not meet TJC standards. Effective May, 2016, TJC has updated this position and will now allow the texting of orders provided that certain features are in place. First and foremost, the text messages must be sent via a secure text messaging platform include the specific features.
Update on TJC Survey Process for Psychiatric Hospitals
As reported in our March newsletter, significant changes are occurring to the TJC accreditation process for psychiatric hospitals. TJC recently sent an email to all psychiatric hospitals that use accreditation for deemed status. It outlined the changes to survey reports, scoring, and the post-survey response process effective June 6, 2016. In addition, there have been some changes to the TJC survey process for psychiatric hospitals.
Is Your Sentinel Event Policy Up to Date?
During some recent consultations, we’ve noticed that some organizations haven’t updated their sentinel event policy to include all the current TJC requirements. So, the following is a recap of TJC requirements related to sentinel events.
Changes to TJC Accreditation Process for Psychiatric Hospitals
If you are a psychiatric hospital that uses TJC accreditation for deemed status, you probably received an email communication recently from TJC entitled “Important Update on The Joint Commission Accreditation Process for Psychiatric Hospitals.” This notification discusses some significant changes to survey reports, scoring, and the post-survey process for psychiatric hospitals. These changes were discussed at the Consultants Forum we recently attended at TJC and are now being communicated officially to the field. The following is a summary of the key changes that go into effect June 6, 2016 (only for psychiatric hospitals that use TJC accreditation for deemed status.)
Updates on TJC Topics of Interest
The scheduling of surveys and composition of survey teams are always topics of interest to our clients, so here are some updates in those areas. Also, be aware of the new Sentinel Event Alert on suicide risk assessment and treatment.
Oro 2.0 High Reliability Organizational Assessment
The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare recently made available the Oro 2.0 High Reliability Organizational Assessment. The assessment is an online tool designed to assist hospitals in evaluating their progress toward high reliability and support them in attaining the goal of zero patient harm. The web-based tool is available to accredited organizations on their Joint Commission Connect extranet site. The Oro 2.0 Assessment guides the leadership team through a series of questions on key strategic performance issues. It’s based on the High Reliability Maturity Model.