Being compliant isn't hard when you have a library card

New EP: Avoid RFIs by keeping documents and service manuals in library

“If it wasn’t documented, it wasn’t done.” It’s a phrase that every accreditation professional should know by heart. It’s a phrase that should be drilled into every doctor, nurse, and caregiver. It’s a phrase in the mind of every surveyor.

The second, lesser-known phrase that everyone should know is: “It doesn’t do me any good if I can’t find it.”
That’s the philosophy behind one of The Joint Commission’s newest Environment of Care elements of performance (EP). Starting on January 1, 2018, healthcare organizations will need to create and maintain an accessible library of service manuals, instructions for use, technical bulletins, and other information manufacturers provide, and keep it as rigorously updated as other required documentation of tests, inspections, and maintenance.

During the annual Executive Briefings session, held just outside Chicago September 29, John D. Maurer, Joint Commission acting director, Department of Engineering, said the requirement for a library of information is one of the most important of the new EPs under EC.01.01.01, and is among the continuing revisions of the Environment of Care and Life Safety standards.

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