Joint Commission Behavioral Health Update
October 2017
In This Issue:

Greetings to Our Colleagues in Behavioral Healthcare!
We hope that the fabulous colors of fall have reached your part of the country and you're enjoying the cooler weather!
 
We have two important updates for you this month. The first one includes information on the new outcomes measurement requirements for organizations and programs surveyed under the Behavioral Healthcare standards.

The second is important information for psychiatric hospitals and psychiatric units of med/surg hospitals regarding how TJC is surveying ligature risks in these settings.

We value your feedback on the newsletter. Please send us your comments and tell us what topics you would like to see in future issues. We look forward to hearing from you! Also, feel free to to your colleagues.

Best regards and enjoy the fall season in your part of the country!   

Anne Barrins
President/CEO
Concerned about TJC's Survey of Ligature Risks at Your Facility?
Our customized consultation on ligature risks is conducted by our engineer teamed with a clinical consultant. It delivers technical assistance on risk assessment as well as mitigation strategies - the best preparation for your next survey. Contact us now to schedule your consultation.
1-877-546-7206
Tip of the Month
Remember that new requirements for the nutrition screening in BH programs go into effect January 1, 2018. Make sure to revise your screening tool to include the newly required questions. See details of the revisions to CTS.02.01.11 published in June, 2017.
Why Choose
Barrins & Associates?
"We are ever grateful for the expert help and support from our wonderful Barrins & Associates consultant! I was clueless at the beginning of the accreditation process. Our consultant did training, policy development, and a mock survey and was extremely supportive throughout the process. The result is we passed our initial TJC survey with flying colors! You are most welcome to contact me if you need more details about our wonderful experience with Barrins and Associates."

Brooke H. Brody, LCSW-C, LCADC
Director
Potomac Pathways
Cabin John, Maryland
Expectations for Outcomes Measurement in 2018
BH Conference Update
A significant topic of interest at the annual TJC Behavioral Healthcare Conference in Chicago this month was the new requirements going into effect in January 2018 related to outcomes measurement. These requirments apply to organizations and programs surveyed under the Behavioral Healthcare Accreditation Manual. The relevant standard is CTS.03.01.09 in the BH manual.
Continue Reading >
Surveying of Ligature Risks
Update from TJC BH Conference
A hot topic at the annual Behavioral Healthcare Conference in Chicago this month was TJC's update on how they are surveying ligature risks in psychiatric hospitals and psychiatric units of med/surg hospitals. As our readers know from our newsletter articles and their own experiences, the findings in this area have been ramping up for the past six months.
Continue Reading >
NEW CLIENTs
Barrins & Associates is pleased to welcome five new clients:  
Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital in Maryville, Washington, Fremont Hospital in Fremont, California, People Encouraging People (PEP) in Baltimore, Maryland, Fairmount Behavioral Health System in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Ridgeview Institute in Smyrna, Georgia.   We are pleased to be working with these clients on continuous regulatory readiness. 
Congratulations corner!
Congratulations to our clients, Clearview Treatment Programs in Venice, California, Enterhealth Ranch Addiction Treatment in Dallas, Texas, and La Luna Center in Boulder, Colorado, who recently achieved initial Joint Commission accreditation.
Barrins & Associates provides Joint Commission and CMS consulting services for the Behavioral Healthcare industry. Our clients include psychiatric hospitals and freestanding Behavioral Healthcare organizations. We specialize in providing Survey Preparation and Continuous Survey Readiness services for the Behavioral Healthcare industry. Barrins & Associates was founded by Anne Barrins who was a Joint Commission surveyor for 13 years.

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