Compliance help from ASHE

At the 55th ASHE Annual Conference & Technical Exhibition in July, I spoke of the concern many members share about the current regulatory environment. This is one of the biggest challenges we are facing, and I have heard a lot of angst about the way codes and standards are being enforced during surveys.

The conference was a great chance to find solutions to these challenges and to hear directly from accrediting organizations, the National Fire Protection Association and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). But our work in helping members navigate today’s regulatory climate doesn’t stop with the annual conference. In fact, ASHE has many new resources on key compliance topics:

• ASHE members received an advocacy alert last month about the latest CMS memo addressing environmental risks associated with the care of patients at risk for suicide and self-harm. ASHE has several resources on this topic, including a patient safety and ligature identification checklist, virtual rounding tools and guidance on ligature risks.
• A new ASHE certification helps members ensure that everyone working in their facilities understands the health care environment. Health care organizations can require that construction professionals working on-site pass the Certified Health Care Physical Environment Worker exam.
• The Barrier Management Symposium video series provides in-depth information on smoke- and fire-barrier management and is free. You can earn continuing education credits by passing a quiz.
• ASHE also has developed resources to help members comply with CMS requirements related to fire doors.

Additionally, the ASHE advocacy team is actively working for better regulations for health care facilities. We have dozens of experts who serve on regulatory committees, and we are actively advancing our efforts to unify codes.

These efforts are focused on helping members overcome one of our biggest challenges and improving the regulatory environment.

Bradley R. Taylor, MBA, CHFM, ASHE President