TJC and CMS News for the Behavioral Healthcare Industry
June 2020
In This Issue:

Greetings to Our Colleagues in Behavioral Healthcare!
As we publish our June newsletter, we're aware that everyone continues to grapple with the challenges of COVID-19 and how it's impacted your organization.
 
At the same time, The Joint Commission has announced they are resuming regular survey activity this month. So, we want to keep you updated on that and how the "new normal" will unfold during upcoming surveys.
 
Our first article covers the details of how TJC plans to start up regular survey activity. Our second article covers the increasing importance of your infection control program in light of COVID-19 and how to be survey-ready for that.
 
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! And feel free to  to your colleagues.  

Anne Barrins
President/CEO
Time to Ramp Up your Continuous Readiness Program

TJC surveys resume this month. Time to revitalize your continuous readiness program. Contact us now to find out how to be survey-ready. We'll design a consultation tailored to your needs - and to the focus of surveys as the "new normal" unfolds.
1-877-546-7206
Tip of the Month
Heads up!  New Joint Commission standards for child welfare agencies go into effect in September. Read the R3 Report New and Revised Standards for Child Welfare Agencies to learn the background and get up to speed on these new requirements.
Why Choose
Barrins & Associates?
"We've used Barrins & Associates on an ongoing basis at one of our hospitals for the past year and a half. Their consultation and technical assistance on TJC and CMS compliance have been critical to our success and we consider them part of our team. They are just top notch experts in regulatory compliance for the behavioral healthcare industry."
 
George Gintoli, MS
VP, Hospital Administration
Nashville, Tennessee
Joint Commission Surveys 
ReSUME in June
It's official! The Joint Commission announced this week they will resume regular surveys in June.

As we know, TJC suspended regular survey activity on March 16th due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since that time, they have not been conducting routine triennial surveys.

TJC has been doing some virtual surveys for organizations seeking initial deemed status from CMS. Feedback is that this virtual survey process has been quite effective. Indeed, the average number of Requirements for Improvement has been ...
Continue Reading >  
JOINT COMMISSION SURVEYS: 
INFECTION CONTROL FOCUS  
As we know, regular Joint Commission surveys are resuming in June. Thus, as you ramp up your survey readiness, it's important to focus on areas that will be a high priority for TJC. Clearly, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, infection control will be one of those high priority areas. 

TJC Behavioral Health leadership confirmed this during the recent COVID-19 Webinar Q & A for Behavioral Health Care.

So, what can you do to be survey-ready in this area?
Continue Reading > 
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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