TJC AND CMS NEWS FOR THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY
September 2020
Greetings to Our Colleagues in Behavioral Health!
As we publish our September newsletter, we know all of you continue to grapple with the challenges of COVID-19 and its impact on your patients and your staff. 

At the same time, The Joint Commission is surveying once again. So, it’s time to be survey ready – whether for a virtual or onsite survey.

To help on that front, we’re providing some important updates on the 2020 Joint Commission survey process. Our first article provides insights into the types of tracers we’re seeing conducted throughout behavioral health settings.

Our second article covers the recent CMS re-approval of TJC as a deeming authority and what’s behind that move.

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 forward this newsletter to your colleagues.  
Anne Barrins
President/CEO
In This Issue:
Behavioral Health Tracers: Joint Commission 2020 Survey Update
CMS Gives TJC 2 Year Deemed Status Approval
New Clients
Tip of the Month
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TRACERS:
JOINT COMMISSION 2020 SURVEY UPDATE
Wondering what types of behavioral health tracers The Joint Commission is conducting as they resume surveys? By “behavioral health tracers” we mean the tracers done in psychiatric hospitals, behavioral health organizations, and psychiatric units of med/surg hospitals.


TJC is targeting geographic areas that are low risk for COVID-19. They’re also conducting virtual surveys for initial deemed status for hospitals and opioid treatment programs.

So, what types of tracers are surveyors conducting in behavioral health settings? Many of the topics are familiar themes. Others have somewhat of a new twist. Let’s take a look ...
CMS GIVES TJC
2 YEAR DEEMED STATUS APPROVAL
News Flash: CMS recently granted The Joint Commission a two year approval for its authority to conduct deemed status surveys for hospitals. The previous approval was for six years. So, what’s behind this shorter approval period?

Background on Deemed Status
CMS grants deeming authority to certain Accrediting Organizations (AOs.) Essentially, that means if a healthcare organization meets the standards of the AO, that healthcare organization is deemed to meet the CMS Conditions of Participation (CoPs) for Medicare or Medicaid.

Currently, the AOs that have deeming authority from CMS for hospitals are:

Notably, TJC is the only AO that has deeming authority for psychiatric hospitals .... 
NEW CLIENTS
Barrins & Associates is pleased to welcome two new clients:
Westborough Behavioral Healthcare Hospital in Westborough, MA and Las Vegas Recovery Center in Las Vegas, NV. We are pleased to work with these organizations on regulatory readiness!
Get Ready for Your TJC Survey
Regular Joint Commission surveys resumed in June. Whether virtual or onsite, it’s time once again to be survey-ready. Contact us now and we’ll help you prepare for the “new normal” in the 2020 survey process. 
1-877-546-7206
TIP OF THE MONTH
Be aware: All the CMS “B Tag” requirements have been moved from State Operations Manual Appendix AA into SOM Appendix A. If you’re a psychiatric hospital with deemed status, be sure to review SOM Appendix A revised 2/21/20 so you’re up to speed on this latest revision. 
Why Choose Barrins & Associates?
"Our Barrins & Associates consultant was incredibly knowledgeable and rigorous. He had an ease in interacting with our staff and incorporated their inputs into his evaluation. Job well done and we highly recommend Barrins & Associates to other behavioral health organizations."
Brett S. Rayford, PsyD, MBA
Superintendent
Middletown, Connecticut
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.