The majority of healthcare facilities in the United States require federal Medicare/Medicaid funds to make ends meet financially. To receive those funds, the organizations must meet the requirements of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, commonly known as CMS. These requirements are federal laws, located in the Code of Federal Regulations, and apply to all aspects of healthcare delivery. Only a small portion of the requirements pertain to life safety, but the life safety requirements must be met to receive federal funding. CMS uses many other entities to help audit a healthcare facility, ranging from state fire marshals or departments of health to deemed status authorities such as The Joint Commission (TJC), Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP), and others. Each of these entities may apply the requirements a bit differently, making compliance that much more difficult. The requirements are not absolute and can be applied in many ways to meet compliance. This just muddies the waters of compliance since the application of requirements is facility-specific. What worked for the last facility you worked in may not work in the one you’re currently responsible for.
How To Maintain Life Safety Compliance in Healthcare Facilities
3 Critical Steps To Healthcare Life Safety Compliance
Federal Requirements Tie Reimbursements To Life Safety Compliance
