A Closer Look at Joint Commission Nursing Care Center Standards:
IC.01.01.01 – The organization identifies the individual(s) responsible for the infection prevention and control program.
On July 1st, the Joint Commission introduced new and revised requirements addressing several topics for the Nursing Care Accreditation Program. Among these new and revised requirements were those addressing the increasingly hot topic of infection prevention and control.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released updated Phase 3 guidance at the end of June, requiring all nursing homes to have a designated Infection Preventionist on-site at least part time. Prior to CMS releasing this updated phase 3 guidance and the The Joint Commission sharing the new standards, many nursing homes were able to get by with a member(s) of their nursing leadership team completing the Infection Preventionist Training Course through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In efforts to meet these new requirements, many nursing homes have job openings for Infection Control Coordinators since the individual is now required to be solely designated to Infection Prevention and Control in the facility. Individuals hired for these positions must have specialized training in infection prevention and control, such as the CDC’s Infection Preventionist Training Course that was previously mentioned.
Over the course of Covid-19, one of the many lessons that nursing home providers learned is the importance of having a designated individual responsible for their infection prevention and control program. These individuals, now more than ever, are seen as being crucial in efforts to mitigate the onset and spread of infections and in the overall day-to-day operations of the facility. Achieve Accreditation works closely with the facility’s infection preventionist to ensure they have the tools they need to meet infection prevention and control standards and ensure best practices.
Reference: The Joint Commission E-dition (jcrinc.com)
Caitlin Brozek LNHA, BBA, CDP is a Senior Consultant at Achieve Accreditation. Achieve Accreditation has helped skilled nursing providers and assisted living organizations to obtain and maintain their Joint Commission Accreditation for over 30 years.