In a new memo to its state survey agencies, CMS said it would use Joint Commission ligature recommendations—drawn from a task force that was convened by the commission and included several CMS suicide prevention experts—as the federal agency goes forward with clarifying and updating Interpretive Guidelines for its surveyors.
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Tag Archives: surveyors
Surveyors on the lookout for suicide hazards
While last year The Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Event Alert to hospitals urging them to do a better job of identifying suicidal ideation in patients, this year the accreditor is doubling down, issuing specific warnings in Joint Commission publications and FAQs outlining concerns about ligature, or hanging, risks.
CMS tells surveyors to double check for Legionella contamination
On June 2, CMS issued a new memo to surveyors on the importance of reducing cases of Legionella infections. Not long after, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sent out a Vital Signs report underlining the bacterium’s risk to patients. Accredited facilities should double-check their waterborne pathogens compliance, as surveyors will likely pay more attention to it in upcoming surveys. The contents of this memo go into effect immediately.
High- and low-risk devices are all the same to surveyors; New maintenance standards could prove costly for hospitals:
Many were shocked by The Joint Commission’s newest standards and elements of performance (EP) on medical device maintenance. The accreditor will no longer distinguish between “high-risk” and “non-high-risk” equipment when surveying maintenance and inspection compliance. Instead, facilities are expected to achieve 100% inspection compliance for both types of devices.