The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has promulgated requirements for hospitals to prevent ligature risk and self-harm from patients that are suicidal. Any hospital that receives Medicare reimbursement for patient care must implement these changes for all patients.

CMS tag number 144 in patient rights and tag number 701 in facility services discuss what units need to be ligature-resistant. These tag numbers cover what patient assessments must be done and what should be found in the environmental assessments. These sections also discuss education, along with policy and procedure requirements.

The Joint Commission (TJC) also has multiple requirements to ensure compliance with their standards regarding ligature and suicide risks. These regulations will be discussed in this webinar and will include psychiatric hospitals, behavior health units, general acute care inpatient units, and emergency departments.

Additional resources will be provided to all registrants, including tools to assess patients to determine if they have suicidal ideations.

Speaker Name:
Lena Browning, MHA, BSN, RNC-NIC, CSHA
Nash Healthcare Consulting