Emergency management scoring grace period ends January 1

Hi folks, it’s Scott Wallask checking in today. Steve Mac is on vacation this week (well deserved after I heard about the amount of miles he logged in the air in the last couple of months).

I wanted to remind you that a Joint Commission grace period–during which certain emergency management citations wouldn’t count against your hospital’s accreditation status–is ending as of January 1.

Because the new 2009 emergency management chapter renumbers the previous standards, double-check these provisions, all of which fell under the grace period in 2008:

• EM.01.01.01, EP 8-Documenting an inventory of assets and resources
• EM.02.02.03, EP 6-Monitoring quantities of assets and resources
• EM.02.01.01, EP 3-Meeting the 96-hour provision
• EM.02.02.01, EP 7-Communicating with vendors of essential supplies and services
• EM.02.02.03, EP 5-Sharing of assets and resources with healthcare facilities outside of the community
• EM.02.02.03, EP 9-Transporting patients, medications, equipment, and staff members to alternate care sites
• EM.02.02.05, EP 3-Coordinating security activities with outside agencies
• EM.02.02.05, EP 4-Managing hazardous materials and wastes
• EM.02.02.07, EP 7-Training staff members about their roles in emergency response
• EM.02.02.07, EP 8-Communicating with licensed independent practitioners about their roles in emergency response
• EM.02.02.09, EP 5-Determining alternative supplies of fuel for building operations or essential transport activities
• EM.02.02.11, EP 6-Managing mental health needs of patients
• EM.02.02.11, EP 7-Managing mortuary services
• EM.02.02.11, EP 8-Documenting and tracking clinical information

Emergency management will be a big part of our 3rd Annual Hospital Safety Center Symposium in May, so I encourage you to check out the full agenda.