The Joint Commission on June 17 outlined some of the hospital requirements it will assess during normal survey processes, which resumed this month.
The organization said its primary focus will not be on scoring all hospital standards that are out of compliance during the pandemic. However, there are several requirements related to the maintenance of equipment and utilities that could pose safety concerns if left unchecked for a full accreditation cycle, The Joint Commission said.
The organization will focus on hospitals' current compliance with these requirements during surveys, rather than if they maintained them throughout the pandemic's peak this spring.
If hospitals are found to be out of compliance, The Joint Commission will issue a requirement for improvement. If the hospital was previously deemed to meet all CMS requirements, The Joint Commission will also score the facility on the CMS Conditions of Participation by assigning one of two levels:
- Standard level: The issue is out of the organization's control and the hospital provided evidence of an attempt to resolve it.
- Condition level: The issue is not out of the organization's control and no attempt was made to resolve the issue.
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