Patricia Cook, BS, R.Ph, HACP-CMS, Head of Consulting

PROPOSED REVISIONS FOR RESUSCITATION STANDARDS

The Joint Commission has proposed changes to the Resuscitation Standards for Hospital and Critical Access Hospitals. These changes were most recently released December 21, 2020. Since then TJC has opened the opportunity to provide feedback on these proposed standard changes. The window to submit your feedback will close on February 22, 2021. To provide feedback, …

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Time Sensitive New Survey Guidance from CMS- Survey Suspensions

On January 20, 2021 CMS issued QSO 20-13 announcing new limitations to the conduct of allegation, accreditation and certification surveys. Accrediting Organizations are being advised to suspend their accreditation certification activities for the next 30 days at which point CMS will reevaluate and could extend the suspension for an additional 30-day period. Click here to …

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The TJC and CMS Update 2020

While we have been dealing with Covid for the majority of 2020, some important information about CMS’s expectations of Accreditation Organizations (AOs) with Deeming Authority has come to light and while Covid remains a significant health risk, there are other patient safety focused standards that were slated for implementation in 2020 that were delayed to …

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Are additional waivers available for ACLS, BLS and CPR certifications?

On September 25, 2020, the following information was released by The Joint Commission (TJC). TJC has worked closely with certification providers and CMS. Certification providers have stated they do not intend to provide any further extensions on certification card expiration dates. CMS has confirmed there are no waivers for these certifications except for ESRD organizations. …

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EXPANSION OF SURVEY- HOSPITAL OWNED AMBULATORY CARE LOCATIONS

While Covid-19 still dominates our minds and our work, TJC recently shared that their review process for continuing their deemed status authority with CMS continues. As a result of this review, CMS will be requiring The Joint Commission to conduct an Environment of Care/ Life Safety Review at each ambulatory care location that is a …

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Why is Discharge Planning so Important?

Timely and comprehensive discharge planning helps with patient and/or family satisfaction and can assist with minimizing the number of re-admissions if the plan is the most appropriate for the patient, and includes detailed education & discharge instructions along with crucial information is shared with the next caregiver. Key requirements supported by both The Joint Commission …

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The 2020 Reorganization of CMS

In November 2019, CMS announced its plan to reorganize its infrastructure. These changes and the rationale for the changes were published in the November 25, 2019 Federal Register. The operational changes are significant and expansive, our focus for this article will be a summary of the overarching changes and the duties of the newly announced …

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