Joint Commission stops scoring Alert compliance
Effective immediately, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has placed a moratorium on scoring organizations’ compliance with Sentinel Event Alert recommendations. Organizations have been required to review all Sentinel Event Alerts, determined how they applied to their organizations, and where applicable, implement the recommendations within 90 days of their being published in Joint Commission Perspectives.
"Although the implementation of recommendations will not be scored during the moratorium, surveyors will assess, for consultative purposes, the organization’s knowledge of Sentinel Event Alert recommendations and how the organization plans to implement these recommendations," according to a notice on the Joint Commission web site (www.jcaho.org).
The Joint Commission is revising its approach to the publication and survey of Sentinel Event Alert recommendations. The revised approach will address the frequency and content of alerts and the number of alert recommendations that are subject to survey each year.
Also, the Joint Commission has announced that it is paying "particular attention" to emergency management planning during its surveys. The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care says its surveyors have always placed special emphasis on this area. (For information on disaster planning, see Same-Day Surgery, November 2001 and December 2001.)
To guide organizations in planning for terrorist attacks that may involve nuclear, biological, and/ or chemical (NBC) incidents, the Joint Commission has issued a special issue of its newsletter, Perspectives. It includes information from hospitals near the World Trade Center and Pentagon. To view Perspectives, go to www.jcrinc.com/subscribers/perspectives.asp?durki=187.
Also, the Joint Commission offers consulting to help organizations prepare for disasters.
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