Joint Commission Publishes Most Challenging Primary Care Medical Home Requirements

The Joint Commission has published its list of most challenging Primary Care Medical Home (PCMH) requirements for 2014 – 2015. The included requirements generated findings in at least 10% of organizations surveyed by the agency during that time frame.

Five (5) EPs under the Provision of Care, Treatment, and Services (PC) chapter, two (2) EPs under the Performance Improvement (PI) chapter, two (2) EPs under the Rights and Responsibilities of the Patient (RI) chapter, and one (1) EP under the Record of Care, Treatment, and Services (RC) chapter. Both PC.02.04.01 EP 4 and RI.01.04.03 EP 7 are new to the most challenging requirements list; the remaining eight (8) EPs appeared on the previous list.

In Touch Issue 1 2016 for The Joint Commission Nursing Care Center Program

The Joint Commission has published the 1st 2016 issue of In Touch, the newsletter for its Nursing Care Center Program. Contents include:

• Nursing Care Centers Accreditation program celebrates 50th anniversary
• HR.02.01.04 most challenging requirement for 2015 for nursing care centers
• New prepublication standards released for NPSG on CAUTIs
• Biondi named new chair of Joint Commission’s Nursing Care Center PTAC
• New on the Web

CMS Approves Institute for Medical Quality’s ASC Accreditation Program

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced its approval of the Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ) as an approved Medicare accreditation program for Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs).

IMQ was created in January 1996 as a not-for-subsidiary of the California Medical Association. According to IMQ, the organization “was designed to… make providing quality care easier and eliminate, rather than create, barriers to doing so” and provides a “heavy emphasis on education, counseling, and direct involvement of practicing physicians.”

The initial four-year approval is effective April 29, 2016, and is limited to

Joint Commission Updates FAQs on Verification of Education

The Joint Commission has updated two FAQs on verifying education, specifically addressing completing primary source verification and obtaining employee transcripts. The revisions are applicable to the Ambulatory Health Care, Critical Access Hospital, Home Care, and Hospital accreditation programs.

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Q. HR.01.02.05 EP 3 requires that “The organization verifies and documents that the applicant has the education and experience required by the job responsibilities.” Does this mean that verification via primary source is required?

Joint Commission: New Policy Position on Texting Orders, More Guidance Coming in June

The Joint Commission announced today it will release additional guidance in June regarding the expectations for text orders. An updated policy position, published in the May 2016 edition of Joint Commission Perspectives, permits the use of secure text messaging platforms to transmit orders.

The article presents recommendations outlining the features that a secure text messaging platform should include, and affirms that organizations allowing text orders are expected to comply with current Joint Commission standards about the required elements for medication and verbal orders.

The forthcoming guidance will include

May 2016 NFPA News Now Available

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has published the May 2016 issue of NFPA News. Contents include:

• New project on Emergency Responder Robotics
• Comments sought on proposed TIAs to NFPA 70
• Annual 2016 Motions Committee Report available
• TIAs issued and TIAs not issued
• New projects on energy storage systems, hazardous waste, and low pressure dispensing containers seeking members
• 2016 Conference & Expo
  • Standards Administration Resource Room
  • Standards Showcase
  • NFPA Technical Meeting
• News in Brief
• Committees Seeking Public Input
• Committee Meetings Calendar
• Committees Seeking Members

Joint Commission Updates FAQ on Texting Orders

The Joint Commission has updated its FAQ on texting orders. The revision is applicable to the Ambulatory Health Care, Behavioral Health Care, Critical Access Hospital, Home Care, Hospital, Nursing Care Centers, and Office-Based Surgery accreditation programs, and evidences a change in the agency’s policy regarding texting orders.

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Q. What is The Joint Commission’s position on texting orders?

Joint Commission Deletes 94 More Hospital Requirements on Restraint and Seclusion

The Joint Commission, as part of the first phase of Project REFRESH, has announced the deletion of 94 duplicative restraint and seclusion requirements under its Hospital Accreditation Program (HAP).

The accrediting organization previously announced the deletion of 131 hospital requirements as a component of the Project REFRESH initiative to streamline standards and elements of performance (EPs). Project REFRESH is a series of interrelated process improvement projects currently underway at The Joint Commission.

The deleted restraint and seclusion standards, under the Provision of Care, Treatment, and Services (PC) chapter, were only applicable to

Joint Commission Introduces SAFER Matrix, Revamps Scoring and Survey Procedures

The Joint Commission’s multiphase process improvement project, Project REFRESH, includes what the organizations calls “a transformative approach for identifying and communicating risk levels associated with deficiencies cited during surveys.” The new approach, dubbed the “Survey Analysis for Evaluating Risk (SAFER)” approach provides organizations with additional information related to risk of deficiencies to help prioritize and focus corrective actions.

The Joint Commission identifies the development of this approach was driven by the organization’s focus on providing its accredited and certified organizations with an on-site and post-survey experience that allows the organization to see areas of noncompliance at an aggregate level – one that shows significant components of risk analysis including the likelihood to harm and the scope of a cited deficiency.