The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a final rule to update healthcare facilities’ fire protection guidelines, according to an article on the Healthcare Business Daily News website.
The guidelines apply to hospitals, longterm care facilities, critical access hospitals, inpatient hospice facilities, programs for all-inclusive care for the elderly, religious non-medical healthcare institutions, ambulatory surgical centers and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
The rule adopts updated provisions of the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) 2012 edition of the Life Safety Code (LSC) as well as provisions of the NFPA’s 2012 edition of the Health Care Facilities Code.
The rule's provisions cover construction, protection and operational features designed to provide safety for Medicare beneficiaries from fire, smoke and panic.
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