Clarification

The American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) clarified last week that The Joint Commission is increasing enforcement of an existing Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) requirement for relocatable power taps (i.e., power strips). CMS requires compliance with the 2000 edition of the Life Safety Code®, which references the 1999 edition of NFPA 99, which requires health facility electrical systems to have enough receptacles to avoid the need for extension cords or power strips in patient care areas.