In Review: Joint Commission Standard Revisions Effective in July 2012

Substantive Changes contained in the July 2012 Joint Commission Standards Release

New elements of performance (EC.02.04.03, EP 17; PC.01.02.15, EPs 5-7) were added to the Ambulatory Care, Critical Access Hospital, and Hospital accreditation programs to align with legislative changes from the State of California pertaining to organizations that perform Computed tomography (CT scan).

In the Hospital program, the criteria for selecting medications were expanded to include “the populations served” (MM.02.01.01, EP 2).

Standard IC.02.04.01, which addressed influenza vaccination of licensed independent practitioners and staff, was expanded and applied to all accreditation programs. New or revised elements of performance include IC.02.04.01, EPs 3-9.

The term “disruptive behavior” has been revised to “behavior or behaviors that undermine a culture of safety” for two elements of performance; LD.03.01.01, EPs 4 and 5. This revision applies to the Ambulatory Care, Behavioral Health Care, Critical Access Hospital, Home Care, Hospital, Laboratory, and Long Term Care accreditation programs.

The Hospital patient-centered communication standards (HR.01.02.01, EP 1; PC.02.01.21, EPs 1-2; and RC.02.01.01, EP 28) were first published in the 2011 Hospital accreditation manual with notes indicating that they would not affect the accreditation decision until July 2012. This was done to allow the field to implement the requirements and provide feedback to The Joint Commission regarding any implementation questions or concerns. The notes have been removed for the July 2012 standards release as planned.

Stage 3 Meaningful Use Draft Recommendations Expected in August

Healthcare Informatics is reporting that The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) expects to present draft recommendations for Stage 3 of the meaningful use program by August, and reconcile them in during Q3 2012 with the Stage 2 meaningful use Final Rule.

The Meaningful Use Workgroup of ONC’s Health IT Policy Committee reported in its July 3, 2012 meeting that it intends to present its preliminary recommendations for Stage 3 to the Health IT Standards Committee for feedback, issue a Request for Comment as soon as November, and publish final Stage 3 meaningful use recommendations in May 2013.

Several of the proposed recommendations for Stage 3 from the Meaningful Use Workgroup’s Subgroup on Population Health include:

• The capability of the electronic health record (EHR) to receive and review a patient’s immunization history from a public health registry
• The capability to received clinical decision support regarding recommended immunizations based on the historical record
•  The capability to electronically send standardized healthcare-associated infection and vaccine-related adverse events reports to appropriate public health agencies.

The Care Coordination Subgroup reported that it is focused on the ability of EHRs to evolve to a collaborative care model of patient treatments, including the capability of a longitudinal history across multiple settings over a patients’ lifetime and a standards-based care plan.

In addition, hospitals and healthcare providers could be required to use EHR systems to track individual healthcare goals; facilitate reconciliation of medications, problem lists, goals and care plans; and enable input and viewing by all care team members, caregivers and patients.

For more information on meaningful use, including definitions, objectives, and resources, visit HealthIT.gov.

HHS Schedules Regional Forums on Affordable Care Act Implementation

Note: Information in this post is out-of-date. HHS has revised the dates for the regional forums on Affordable Care Act implementation. To see the revised dates, click here.

In a July 10, 2012 letter to governors, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced four regional forums to address questions and concerns from state officials and other stakeholders as the department moves forward in implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

“The Supreme Court held that, if a state chooses not to participate in [the ACA’s] expansion of Medicaid eligibility for low-income adults, the state may not, as a consequence, lose federal funding for its existing Medicaid program,” the letter states. “The Court’s decision did not affect other provisions of the law.” Sebelius said HHS is “committed to providing states with as much flexibility as we can to achieve successful implementation of the many important opportunities provided by this legislation.”

The forums are scheduled for July 31, 2012 in Washington, D.C.; August 2, 2012 in Chicago; August 10, 2012 in Denver; and August 15, 2012 in Atlanta. Interested parties can register to attend one of the forums at this link.

In related news, the Republican Governors Public Policy Committee sent President Obama a letter listing questions related to Medicaid and the PPACA’s health insurance exchanges “that must have answers before states can determine best how to proceed in light of the Court’s decision.”

The Secretary of Health and Human Services letter to governors is available at this link.

The Republican Governors Public Policy Committee letter to President Obama is available at this link.

Credit: AHA