Recently, the Joint Commission posted 10 FAQ’s addressing the new pain management standards that take effect January 2018. These are hot topics discussed by many organizations that we visit as they plan their implementation steps.
Reducing Suicide Risks – Recommendations
In the November edition of Perspectives, the Joint Commission unveiled it’s conclusions on reducing suicide risks in inpatient hospital settings.
Changes to Emergency Management Standards
The lead article this month details the recently published CMS requirements for emergency management standards. Specifically, the Joint Commission’s new elements of performance required to follow those requirements.
These new EP’s are available from the home screen of your hospital’s secure Joint Commission’s extranet. Unfortunately, the normal prepublication route wasn’t followed. So, the EP’s are still considered a draft because they are not yet approved by CMS.
In addition, the implementation date is November 15, 2017. It’s less than one month away. These changes will require modifications to your emergency operations plan documents. So assuming approval will take place you should make those edits now. This will ensure you don’t get surprised on a survey after November 15.
Increased Scrutiny of Sterile Compounding
Reducing the risk associated with sterile compounding. Indeed the most concerning and important article in Perspectives.
In fact, we warned about enhanced scrutiny on sterile compounding in our July Newsletter. This perception has certainly become a reality. And, it will catch many hospitals by surprise if not properly prepared.
Read more