A Joint Commission reference raises EC questions
There is a footnote in the proposed life safety standards relative to the manual transmission of alarms that references an issue of Environment of Care News, which is a Joint Commission newsletter.
Does this somehow introduce EC News into the realm of “enforceable” information sources? Or is it merely mentioned in the context of the draft and the mention will be removed when the chapter is finalized?
I find it curious that the reference cites the Joint Commission’s “policy on the manual transmission of fire alarm signals.” I can’t say that I’ve ever run across their “policy.” Is it in the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals? Has it been in Perspectives?
What the heck are they talking about?
About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a consultant for The Greeley Company, a division of HCPro. He brings 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is the author of HCPro's Hospital Safety Director's Handbook and is contributing editor for Briefings on Hospital Safety. Contact Steve at 
Patty Needham | Feb 1, 2008 | Reply
We underwent our on-site JC survey in Dec 2007. The surveyor told us that EC News is an official source of JC interpretations, just like Perspectives.