Two Frequently Cited Joint Commission Standards Are “Catchall” for Patient Safety

EC.02.06.01 and IC.02.02.01 were the two most challenging standards for hospitals in 2015, both of which have significant patient safety implications.

The top two most frequently cited Joint Commission standards in 2015 are not necessarily surprising. Both are widely recognized as catchall standards that encapsulate a wide variety of survey violations.

However, both standards have clear patient safety implications that reveal ongoing concerns about scope reprocessing, infection prevention best practices, and managing behavioral health patients in the ED.

According to The Joint Commission, the top two most frequently cited standards for hospitals in 2015 were:

  • EC.02.06.01 – Maintaining an environment that is safe and functional (62% noncompliance)
  • IC.02.02.01 – Reducing infection risks from medical devices, equipment, and supplies (59% noncompliance)

IC.02.02.01 has been a particularly challenging standard for hospitals for some time, and compliance appears to have worsened over the last several years. The standard was among the top cited in 2013 with 46% noncompliance, and it was the third most frequently cited standard in 2014 with 52% noncompliance.

In 2014, The Joint Commission issued an advisory on IC.02.02.01 compliance, indicating that hospitals frequently receive citations because staff lack knowledge and training, don’t have access to evidence-based guidelines, and fail to follow the written process for sterilization. Additionally, staff turnover makes high-level disinfection and sterilization a low priority.

“IC.02.02.01 is an enormous catchall for anything related to infections and low-level disinfection,” says Jennifer Cowel, RN, MHSA, a patient safety, accreditation, and regulatory compliance consultant with Patton Healthcare Consulting in Naperville, Illinois. “If I’m not wiping down a glucometer, it’s scored here. If I have a dirty wheelchair, it’s scored here. Then it goes into high level disinfection … anything I do wrong within the context of taking a dirty scope from the procedure room, any misstep will be scored under EP 2.”

Similarly, EC.02.06.01 has been a frequently cited standard because it’s “kind of a dumping ground standard,” Cowel says.

This is an excerpt from the June issue of the Patient Safety Monitor. Subscribers can read the rest of the article here. Find out more about the journal, its benefits, and how to subscribe by clicking here.