The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced a final rule to update health care facilities' fire protection guidelines to improve protections for all Medicare beneficiaries in facilities from fire.
According to the announcement, the new guidelines apply to hospitals; long term care (LTC) facilities; critical access hospitals (CAHs); inpatient hospice facilities; programs for all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE); religious non-medical healthcare institutions (RNHCI); ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs); and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ICF-IID).
The final rule adopts updated provisions of the National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) 2012 edition of the Life Safety Code (LSC) as well as provisions of the NFPA's 2012 edition of the Health Care Facilities Code. Specifically, the provision in the final rule cover construction, protection, and operational features designed to provide safety for Medicare beneficiaries from fire, smoke, and panic.
To read the rest of the announcement, click HERE. You may have participated in our OSHA webinar this month. If so, you would have received information about this final rule along with other OSHA-focused training. If you weren't able to join the live webinar or would like to review the information again, click HERE to access the recording.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us by phone at 855-427-0427 or by email at support@hcp.md