Madman Across the Water Management Program
By Steve MacArthur, Hospital Safety Consultant
This week brings us something of an unexpected development in the management of the physical environment as our friends in Chicago are seeking comments on a proposed standards revision that more clearly indicates the required elements for water management programs. I don’t know that I was expecting this change, though I suppose it falls under the “one outbreak is one too many” category, nor was I expecting the solicitation of commentary from the field (I look forward to seeing the results of the comment period). It would seem that the proposed performance element is based very closely on the CDC recommendations, which clearly take into consideration the guidance from ASHRAE 188 Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems and ASHRAE 12 Managing the Risk of Legionellosis Associated with Building Water Systems, so it doesn’t appear that we’re breaking new ground here.
Additionally, we know from past discussions that CMS has been pretty focused on the risks associated with building water systems (most recently, here, but there are others), so this may be a case of ensuring that everyone is paying attention to the areas of (presumably) greatest risk. And, as near as I can tell, none of the existing COVID-related blanket waivers exempts folks from managing the risks associated with building water systems, so hopefully you’ve been staying with your identified frequencies for testing, etc. And if you haven’t, you probably should be identifying a game plan for ensuring that those risks are being appropriately managed.
Clearly, there’s a little time before these “changes” go into effect (the comment period ends November 16, 2020), but since this is pretty much what CMS has been looking for since 2017 or so, you want to have a solid foundation of compliance moving forward. I recognize with everything else going on at the moment, this might not be a priority, but this is one of those concerns in which proactivity will keep you out of compliance jail.
Until next time, hope you are all well and staying safe!
About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a safety consultant with The Greeley Company in Danvers, Mass. He brings more than 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is the author of HCPro's Hospital Safety Director's Handbook and is contributing editor for Healthcare Safety Leader. Contact Steve at stevemacsafetyspace@gmail.com.