Editor's Note The Joint Commission on April 24 announced that it will be posting spring 2019 updates to the E-dition® of its accreditation and certification manuals in May. The changes, which can be viewed on an organization’s Joint Commission Connect® extranet site, will go into effect July 1 unless otherwise…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on March 27 posted the “Top 5” requirements identified most frequently as “not compliant” during surveys and reviews in 2018. The Top 5 for hospital accreditation are: LS.02.01.35: The hospital provides and maintains systems for extinguishing fires (88.85%). EC.02.05.01: The hospital manages risks associated with…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on March 6 announced that it is moving the inpatient and outpatient Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement (THKR) implementation guides from the performance measure webpage to the 2019 Specifications Manual for Joint Commission National Quality Measures. The Manual was published in February. The move will…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on March 6 reminded organizations submitting CY 2018 electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) data that the deadline is 8 pm CT on March 15. Two submission methods are available: Listed ORYX eCQM Vendor. Direct Data Submission Platform. There will be no extensions, and data cannot…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on January 23 announced that it is reinstating the individual mechanical thrombectomy volume eligibility requirement for the Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center (TSC) and Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC) certification programs. The Joint Commission is also implementing a revised volume requirement in 6 months that expands which physicians…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on January 9 announced that it is seeking feedback on its newly proposed requirements for antimicrobial stewardship at Medication Management (MM) standard MM.09.01.03. The requirements apply to ambulatory healthcare organizations and office-based surgery practices. The proposed requirements align with current recommendations from scientific and professional…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on January 9 the publication of a new R3 Report to help organizations better understand the new and revised pain assessment and management standards that will be effective July 1, 2019. The R3 Report, which is for behavioral healthcare organizations, nursing care centers, and…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on December 19 that, effective July 1, 2020, it will begin publicly reporting hospitals with consistently high C-section rates on"Quality Check," using hospital data reported during CY 2018 and 2019. The Joint Commission began requiring accredited hospitals to collect and submit data on the…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on December 19 launched a webpage that covers four high-risk areas that surveyors evaluate. The “4-1-1 on Survey Enhancements” interactive page provides resources for: Sterile medication compounding Suicide prevention High-level disinfection and sterilization Hemodialysis. The Joint Commission enhanced its evaluation of these high risk areas…

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In the past few months, the Joint Commission has implemented a new process for accreditation surveys and changed the wording and interpretation of some standards, particularly infection control. At the 2018 OR Manager Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, in September, John R. Rosing, MHA, FACHE, executive vice president and principal of…

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