Joint Commission Behavioral Health Update
April 2017
In This Issue:

Greetings to Our Colleagues in Behavioral Healthcare!
This month we are marking the eight year anniversary of our newsletter! We have found it to be a great vehicle for staying in touch with our clients and colleagues. It's gratifying when we get feedback about how helpful the newsletter is to folks out there in the field. So, keep your questions and comments coming and we'll continue to bring you information and resources that support your survey readiness efforts. Also, remember that you can access previous editions of our newsletter via the Newsletter Archive on our website.
 
This month, we are sharing information about proposed changes to the National Patient Safety Goal on suicide risk assessment. This is an important topic for all of our clients and we encourage you to provide input to TJC on the proposed revisions. Our other article this month deals with the topic of psychiatric advance directives which is coming up more frequently for clients surveyed under the Behavioral Health Care standards. 

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.

Anne Barrins
President/CEO
Anticipating a TJC Hospital Survey in 2017?
Be prepared for how the CMS B Tags will be incorporated into your survey. Contact us now to schedule a mock survey that includes all the B Tag requirements. It's your best strategy for survey success!
1-877-546-7206
Tip of the Month
Waived testing in BH settings is getting increased scrutiny during surveys, especially the issue of clients administering their own glucose testing. Check out the TJC Standards BoosterPak for Waived Testing to make sure you're up to speed on all the requirements.
Why Choose
Barrins & Associates?

"We were extremely satisfied with our Barrins & Associates mock survey. Besides being very knowledgeable, the consultants presented issues in a collegial and instructive manner that was very well received by staff ... great preparation for our actual TJC survey!"

Barbara Schmidt, 
CEO
Mesa Springs Hospital
Fort Worth, Texas 
Suicide Risk Assessment 
National Patient Safety Goal
Proposed Revisions
TJC has published proposed revisions to the National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) on suicide risk assessment for both the Hospital Accreditation Program and the Behavioral Health Care Accreditation Program. The proposed revisions are out for field comment which ends on May 1.
Psychiatric Advance Directives in Behavioral Healthcare
News and updates to keep you informed on what's going on in the BHC Accreditation Program, including new executive director of Behavioral Health Care and Psychiatric Hospital Accreditation for TJC, information on new outcomes measurement requirement, survey timelines and Phase I revisions to Behavioral Health Care Standards.
NEW CLIENTS
Barrins & Associates is pleased to welcome four new clients:
Copper Springs in the area of Phoenix, ArizonaMillwood Hospital in Arlington, TexasSana Behavioral Health in Las Vegas, Nevada, and  Sacred Oak Medical Center  in Houston, Texas We are pleased to be working with these organizations on regulatory and accreditation compliance. 
Congratulations corner!
Congratulations to our clients, Oakwood Springs Hospital and Sober College, 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.