Accreditation

Joint Commission revises EC.4.10 and EC.4.20

Accreditation Connection, May 21, 2007

Hospitals, critical access hospitals, and long-term care facilities will all have to comply with revised EC.4.10 and EC.4.20 standards as of January 1, 2008, according to the May issue of Joint Commission Online.

The revised standards "reflect an all-hazards approach to emergency preparedness that permits appropriately flexible and effective responses," Joint Commission Online says.

Organizations must prepare for a variety of disasters and account for different effects a disaster may entail in order to comply. The standards stress the need for a plan of action if the local community is not prepared to help the organization.

After performing disaster-related studies, The Joint Commission concluded healthcare organizations must be prepared to deal with multiple disasters occurring simultaneously or concurrently and not just one at a time.

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