The Joint Commission will no longer consider hospital Plans for Improvement (PFIs) for its Life Safety chapter requirements starting August 1, according to an article on the Health Facilities Management website.
After that, all life safety deficiencies will need to be corrected within 60 days, although a time-limited waiver process will be available through Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regional offices.
The changes were announced at the American Society for Healthcare Engineering’s 53rd Annual Conference and Technical Exhibition.
The changes affect the Joint Commission’s Statement of Conditions (SOC) requirements. The SOC program in 1995 as a means for hospitals to correct deficiencies they self-identified within a justifiable time frame based on budgeting and scheduling needs, with Interim Life Safety Measures to ensure patient safety.
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