Joint Commission revises hospice requirements to align with CMS

The Joint Commission revised several hospice requirements to comply with the CMS Conditions of Participation (CoP). The changes are effective July 1, 2015.

The occupancy requirements for inpatient hospices have been changed. The accreditor removed Life Safety standards for rooming and lodging (LS.04.01.20, LS.04.01.30, and LS.04.01.50); healthcare occupancy standards LS.01.01.01 to LS.02.01.70 will be effective. The Joint Commission previously had required facility-based hospice providers with 11 or fewer patients to meet the rooming and lodging requirements of chapter 26 of the Life Safety Code® (LSC). But the CMS requires all facility-based hospice providers to comply with the requirements for Health Care Occupancies in chapters 18 and 19 of the LSC.

Read the Joint Commission article.