(We tweeted about this information July 1. To keep up with breaking news as it happens, follow us on Twitter @SameDaySurgery. For more information on the original standards, see “Final Rule Published on Fire Safety Requirements,” July 2016 SDS Accreditation Update supplement, at http://bit.ly/24wWtrv.)
CMS has published a correction to its recently updated fire safety standards for hospitals, according to the American Hospital Association (AHA).
The May final rule adopted the National Fire Protection Association’s 2012 Life Safety Code, with minor amendments, and most chapters of its 2012 Health Care Facilities Code for hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and certain other facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, the AHA said. The clarification states that hospital outpatient surgical departments must meet Life Safety Code provisions applicable to ambulatory healthcare occupancies, “regardless of the number of patients served.” The standards for ambulatory healthcare occupancies normally apply to facilities providing services simultaneously to four or more patients. (To access the correction, go to http://bit.ly/29gcXUo.)
