Feeling pretty psyched: Some good news to share!

In full recognition that the longer the COVID-19 condition persists, the crazier it gets to folks on the front lines, so my intent is to (try—we’ll see how this works out—you know me) limit editorializing and provide you with brief episodes of useful content.

This week, it gladdens my heart to let you know that the good folks at the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) published a template (and guidance information) to facilitate facilities and safety professionals’ requests for an 1135 Waiver relating to the potential for compliance gaps relative to inspection, testing, and maintenance of fire safety and other equipment. You can find the template and table at the ASHE website. It’s a fairly straightforward process and the template (and corresponding table) really simplifies the thought process; I would encourage each and every one of you to check out these materials and get your waiver requests in the queue. To my way of thinking, this will make things a whole lot easier as we deal with survey activities in the aftermath of COVID-19 and, in the short term, allow you to focus on the important things: Supporting patient care at your organization.

Stay safe and stay in touch as you can—you guys rock!

About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a safety consultant with The Greeley Company in Danvers, Mass. He brings more than 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is also a contributing editor for Healthcare Safety Leader. Contact Steve at stevemacsafetyspace@gmail.com.