Registration fees:       $175 per NDHA member  |  $225 per non-member

TARGET AUDIENCE:

Chief Medical Officer, Chief Nursing Officer, Compliance Officer, Emergency Department Personnel, Joint Commission Coordinator, Medical Records, Quality Improvement personnel, Risk Manager, Legal Counsel.

OVERVIEW:

Though the Joint Commission (TJC) surveyors review all aspects of a facility during a review, they do target specific areas involving patient care. For 2022, there is a focus on workplace violence, infection prevention and control, emergency management, and Life Safety. Much of what TJC requires for certification and deemed status follow the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation. Hospitals who receive deemed status through TJC are not required to have a certification survey by CMS to participate in Medicare reimbursement. Every hospital that accepts Medicare and Medicaid must comply with the CMS discharge planning guidelines, and these standards must be followed for all patients.

• Recall that TJC recent standards require workplace violence issues to be reported to the Governing Board.
• Describe the changes to the Life Safety Code and requirements for sprinkler heads.
• Recite that TJC requires hospitals to provide patients with written advance directives information on admission.
• Explain that TJC states that patients and families have a right to have a complaint reviewed in a timely manner.

SPEAKER:

Darlene Evans is a healthcare quality leader with more than 25 years of experience, specializing in clinical and regulatory operations management, accreditation readiness and response, staff training, and business development. With her expertise in Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Joint Commission, and Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program standards and her commitment to education and collaboration, Darlene has a proven track record of helping clients identify opportunities for improvement and achieve sustainable, long-term results. She has also helped lead organizations through projects in areas such as operational effectiveness, infrastructure, staffing and productivity, fiscal stewardship, leadership development, and care delivery.

Darlene previously served as the Senior Manager of Clinical Operations, Quality, Safety, and Performance Improvement with Quorum Health Resources. In this role, she provided consultative services to 150 client hospitals, including accreditation, quality, and Life Safety and Environment of Care assessments, and the implementation of operational process improvement tools and best practices, as well as other specialty patient quality and safety initiatives.

Previously, Darlene worked with the Joint Commission International as a hospital and ambulatory care accreditation surveyor for healthcare organizations in Turkey, India, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and China. In addition to her consulting and surveyor experience, Darlene has served in full-time leadership roles including Chief Nursing Officer, Vice President of Patient Care Services, Assistant Vice President of Nursing Services, and Director of Quality Management and Education.

Darlene earned her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in nursing from Troy State University in Troy, AL. She has also taken courses in business and management and is Lean Six Sigma certified. Darlene is a Registered Nurse, a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality, and a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the National Association for Healthcare Quality.

This speaker has no real or perceived conflicts of interest that relate to this presentation.