Behavioral Healthcare Compliance for TJC and CMS: Updates and Resources
See behavioral healthcare compliance posts below from our recent newsletters and access our newsletter archive and behavioral healthcare industry links.
Boarding Psychiatric Patients in the ED: Joint Commission Recommendations
Boarding psychiatric patients in the Emergency Department is recognized as a significant problem nationwide. Technically, “boarding” is the process of holding an admitted patient in the ED while waiting for an inpatient bed. Best Practices for Boarding Psychiatric...
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...
Falls Now Included as Sentinel Events
As we work with clients on survey readiness, we’re noticing some organizations haven’t updated their Sentinel Event policy to include the Joint Commission definition of falls as sentinel events. The new definition went into effect January 1, 2021. Here’s what you need...
NPSG 15 Suicide Prevention: The Monitoring Requirement
As we know, compliance with the requirements of National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) 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 requirement to...
SAFER Dashboard Launched by TJC
Ever wonder how your survey results stack up against other similar organizations? TJC has made that easier to do with its new SAFER Dashboard. The SAFER Dashboard is a self-serve data analytic tool. It allows organizations to view their survey data and national...
DNV Has Deeming Authority for Psychiatric Hospitals
DNV Healthcare is now the second Accrediting Organization (after The Joint Commission) to receive deeming authority from CMS for psychiatric hospitals to participate in the Medicare or Medicaid programs. CMS granted deeming authority to DNV in July 2020. CMS’s...
New Joint Commission Life Safety Requirements for Business Occupancies
Heads up! There’s are new Joint Commission Life Safety standards for business occupancies effective July 1, 2021. They apply to organizations accredited under both the Hospital Manual and the Behavioral Health & Human Services manual. So, what’s involved and how...
Virtual Joint Commission Surveys: What’s the Status?
As we know, once the pandemic hit, TJC launched its virtual survey process. The number of virtual Joint Commission surveys increased dramatically over the past year as the Public Health Emergency continued. Fast forward: TJC reinstituted routine onsite surveys effective March 15th. However, they’ll continue with a certain volume of virtual surveys in the near term. We’re providing an update on how these surveys are unfolding in the field. And how to prepare if you’re anticipating a virtual Joint Commission survey.