It has been a long time since The Joint Commission has published frequently asked questions (FAQ), which serve as a great resource for clarification of standards and elements of performance. Generally, FAQs originate with questions from the field that continue to be asked over time.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) have announced the release of two proposed rules designed to improve care delivery and experience and to enhance the sharing of electronic health information.
Throughout the years, this column has focused on the important role the electronic document management system (EDMS) plays as the official legal health record (LHR) within a healthcare organization, and especially as a critical workflow tool for the HIM department. I am always surprised to hear that there are still some facilities that haven't figured this out and purchased an EDMS.
Incentives posed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Triple Aim Initiative and value-based purchasing emphasize treating the whole person to include preventive, medical, dental, postacute, community, mental health, and addiction services.
Last month, we laid the foundation to promote successful engagement of the coding and clinical documentation improvement teams in PSI 90 performance improvement efforts.
As required by The Joint Commission, a board of directors should regularly assess its performance, appropriateness of board and committee processes and charter fulfillment, adequacy of meeting structures and goals, communication with management, and other governance structures and activities. Generally, boards and their committees complete this assessment through self-surveys, internal audits, or collection of results as performed by legal services. Assessment results can lead to changes in board processes, with the goal of adapting to changing risks and environmental requirements, and improvements in governance.
