Greetings to Our Colleagues in Behavioral Healthcare!
As we work with our clients across the country, we know weather challenges have abounded this winter. Let's all hang in there and hope for an early spring! Meanwhile, we're keeping you up to date on TJC and CMS initiatives to support your continuous readiness.
In this month's newsletter, our first article provides important information on new standards in the Joint Commission BH manual for substance use disorder treatment. Our second article reports on the new CMS survey process for psychiatric hospitals.
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
Expecting Your TJC Survey in 2020?
Contact us now to schedule your Mock Survey. The trend for "early surveys" continues so don't delay. We'll get you on our schedule for Q2 2020.
1-877-546-7206
Tip of the Month
TJC recently released an
FAQthat clarifies the distinction in the Behavioral Health Care manual between physical holding of children/youth and restraint/seclusion. Important information if you're surveyed under the BH standards and using those interventions.
Why Choose Barrins & Associates?
"Our Barrins & Associates consultant was incredibly knowledgeable and rigorous. He demonstrated an ease in interacting with our staff and incorporated their wisdom into his analysis. Job well done and we highly recommend Barrins & Associates to other BH organizations!"
New Requirements for Substance Use Disorder Treatment
Heads up! Does your behavioral health organization/program provide treatment for substance use disorders? If so, you'll need to address new TJC standards going into effect on July 1, 2020.
TJC Standards: Behavioral Health Care Manual TJC accredits opioid treatment programs and medication-assisted treatment programs under its Behavioral Health Care Accreditation Program. The new standards will be in the Spring 2020 E-dition update to the Comprehensive Manual for Behavioral Health Care. They are enhancements to the existing standards for substance use disorder treatment in the Care, Treatment, and Services chapter. The Prepublication Standards ...
On January 13, 2020, CMS announced it will change its survey process for psychiatric hospitals. Certainly, this is a significant change so it's important to understand all the details.
New CMS Survey Process: What will be Different?
The key difference is how the State Survey Agency (SSA) will survey psychiatric hospitals. Effective March 2020, the SSA will review psychiatric hospitals for compliance with ...
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.
