Operating Room Fires: Prevention and Preparation

By Sandra Jones, LHRM, CPHRM, CASC
Ambulatory Strategies Inc. and ASD Management
[email protected]

Question:
During our recent Life Safety Code inspection, we were cited for not doing a scenario based fire drill for an operating room fire. The inspector said that has been a rule for a long time. Any tips on complying with this life safety code requirement?

Answer:
Now that CMS has stated all surgery centers must follow the 2012 editions of the National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code (NFPA 101) and Health Care Facilities Code (NFPA 99), life safety code surveyors have received some additional training.

September 27, 2016

SCASCA has learned that the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights has finalized a rule interpreting Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act called Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities. The rule requires implementation by October 19, 2016

2014 and 2015 JAR Submissions

September 14, 2016

SCASCA has recently confirmed that centers are again able to submit the state’s Joint Annual Report and have been advised that centers should complete reports for both 2014 and 2015.

5 Tips for AAAHC Certification of a New Center

By Tammy Andrews, CASC

Obtaining the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care certification is an arduous process. To help ambulatory surgery centers prepare, AAAHC provides a course to assess readiness and compliance. Used with the Standards Manual, the sheer volume of information and the tasks required to achieve certification can be daunting. It is for this reason that many ASCs enlist the help of an outside party to conduct a mock survey.A mock survey is performed to make sure a center is adequately prepared for the survey by identifying areas for improvement and deficiencies.