Archive for February, 2009

165 New Requirements … So What?

We’ve completed an analysis of the January 2009 additions to the accreditation manual. There are 165 brand new (or revised) elements of performance. A significant percentage of these requirements (60 or 36%) may have an impact on current practice at your hospital. We’ll be blogging about each new requirement we believe has the potential for significant impact. In the meantime, we’ve attached an analysis of these new EPs for your review.

Will the Joint Commission Score the New Requirements Now?

On January 6, 2009 the Joint Commission released 165 brand new elements of performance intended to bring existing Joint Commission standards in line with the Medicare Conditions of Participation. In the February, 2009 issue of Perspectives, the Joint Commission said that the new requirements were “schedule for July 1, 2009 implementation but are subject to change pending further Joint Commission discussions with CMS.”

We wonder what these discussions have yielded, because some of these new requirements were already being cited on surveys taking place in January, 2009!