Scott Wytosick, CFPS, CFI-II, life safety coordinator for Akron Children’s Hospital and former Life Safety Code®(LSC) surveyor, says preparing for a survey is all about reviewing previous surveys.
Someone’s always checking for compliance when it comes to fire safety, especially in healthcare facilities. Naturally, that includes several regulatory agencies: CMS, The Joint Commission (TJC), Department of Health, and the local fire department, just to name a few. They will all be looking for...
Healthcare Life Safety Compliance - Volume 25, Issue 6
The Life Safety Code® (LSC) & Health Care Facilities Code (HCFC) survey is conducted in accordance with the appropriate protocols and regulations to determine whether a citation of...
Healthcare Life Safety Compliance - Volume 25, Issue 6
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on April 7 issued an update to the COVID-19 emergency declaration blanket waivers for specific providers.
CMS officials say they will continue to review the need for existing emergency blanket waivers issued in response to the COVID-19...
Healthcare Life Safety Compliance - Volume 25, Issue 5
S. Caleb Thomas, MS, CHSP, CHOP, healthcare safety specialist in environmental health and safety for the Oregon Health and Science University healthcare organization, is passionate about environment of care topics. He’s been involved in some recent accreditation surveys, as well...
This photograph of a door to a fire exit was taken in a medical building. Those signs are the only signage for this door. Can you tell what’s wrong with this picture?
Fire drills are required by the Life Safety Code® and serve as part of any strong fire safety training program. And virtual reality (VR) is popping up on the radar of healthcare facilities as a viable component of training programs.
Expect surveyors to take a closer look at the fire safety precautions in hospital surgical and hyperbaric suites, especially once new elements of performance (EP) from The Joint Commission (TJC) go into effect in July.