November 2021 Newsletter

In the News This Month

Many of our communities have encountered a variety of emergencies this year which have added extra burden to our healthcare organizations. While The Joint Commission Emergency Management Standards have existed for many years, this year revisions to the Emergency Management Chapter were put into effect. Our feature article, "Understanding the Emergency Management After Action Report" examines these updated requirements.

Also, included this month is our article about Pet Therapy, a very effective and popular service being used more frequently in healthcare settings. While these programs offer immense patient and staff benefits, animals also have potential to cause a multitude of safety risks. Denise's informative outline provides helpful tips on what your organization can do to offer a successful and safe program.

Nov 2 2021

Understanding the Emergency Management After Action Report
From forest fires to hurricanes, from major flooding to non-potable water sources, many of our communities have encountered emergencies in the past year, and that is barring the pandemic. Health Care Organization Emergency Management Incident Command Teams have stood up each time to protect their campuses, patients, and communities.  ...
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About the Author

Patricia Cook, B.S., R.Ph, HACP, GRCP

Pat Cook is a Senior Consultant and Head of Consulting Services at Courtemanche & Associates. Working in collaboration with the C&A Leaders, Pat manages Courtemanche & Associate’s business development initiatives and oversees the clinical delivery of services and support. With her extensive healthcare experience, Pat serves as a knowledgeable resource to new and existing clients, helping to guide them through their accreditation and regulatory needs.

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Nov 2 2021

What You Need to Know About Pet Therapy
Therapy animals provide immense benefits to patients. Pet therapy has been proven to reduce depression, anxiety, pain, and fatigue in patients with a variety of health conditions, as well as reinforce rehabilitation goals. According to a study by Tufts Institute for Human-Animal Interaction at Tufts University, 4 percent of hospitals and 22 percent of eldercare facilities had no policy whatsoever ...
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About the Author

Joseph Esch, MBA CHFM

Joseph Esch is a Life safety surveyor and consultant. He is trained under the HFAP Acute Care and Critical Access Hospital requirements, as well as The Joint Commission accreditation requirements for the physical environment, fire safety, Life Safety Code®, and Emergency Management chapters. Joseph has 14 years in healthcare, his primary focus is the operations, plant and the physical environment. He has assisted in the planning and initial startup of facility programs in several acute care facilities, including the implementation of CMMS, compliance program, capital forecasting, and facility condition indexing and has been chairman of the EOC committee. He currently holds a Certified Healthcare Facility Manager certification issued by the American Hospital association in 2015 and is a member of the American Society of Healthcare Engineers and the local chapter of Chesapeake Area for Healthcare Engineers.

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C_APPS 2021

Fresh from the Field

Our C_APPS membership provides monthly offerings January through November including regulatory & accreditation tools, resources, tracers, policy checklists, and other key aids to facilitate ongoing success with changing expectations.

Patient Visitation

Oct 6 2021

Patient Visitation
Related to the spread of Covid both CMS and The Joint Commission permit organizations to modify their visitation practices to safeguard patients, staff, and visitors. Earlier this year, Planetree International released the “Family Presence Policy Decision Making Toolkit 2021”, which focuses specifically on decision making during Covid. Expanding on that concept, we are providing a sample Patient Visitation Policy and a decision grid which expands the risk assessment process for determining feasibility of visitation along broader conditions that may influence your organization’s decision to expand or reduce visitation.
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October Focus

Patient Visitation

This month's package includes:

  • Sample Patient Visitation Policy
  • Sample Decision Grid

C_Apps Resources & Tools

C_APPS is an Exclusive Membership Service resource developed by Courtemanche & Associates that provides monthly offerings of regulatory and accreditation tools, resources, tracers, policy checklists or other key aids to facilitate ongoing success with changing expectations.

Disclaimer: The information on this website is published in good faith for general information purposes only. This website does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability and accuracy of this information.

The Joint Commission® is a registered trademark of Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Courtemanche & Associates has no affiliation with this entity.

Courtemanche & Associates | (704)-573-4535 | Email: info@courtemanche-assocs.com

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