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Medical Equipment
Published on October 17, 2014
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By Arif Subhan, MS, CCE, FACCE
considered comparable to the CMS term critical equipment. The term highrisk is defined in the glossary of the Joint Commission standards.5,6
EC.02.04.01 EP 4
This new, revised EP combines the concepts of maintenance activities and
frequencies of the earlier EP 3 and EP 4. It now requires the hospital to
identify the activities and associated frequencies, in writing, for maintaining,
inspecting, and testing all medical equipment in the inventory.
In order to determine the frequencies of maintenance and testing, hospitals
must follow manufacturers recommendations or develop strategies of an
alternative equipment maintenance (AEM) program. This AEM program must
not reduce the safety of equipment, and must be based on accepted
standards of practice. For medical equipment, suggested accepted standards
are the American National Standards Institute/Association for the
Advancement of Medical Instrumentation handbook, ANSI/AAMI EQ56: 2013,
Recommended Practice for a Medical Equipment Management Program.5,6
EC.02.04.01, EP 5
This is a new EP for deemed status hospitals. It requires the hospital to use
manufacturers recommendations for maintenance activities and frequencies
for the following types of equipment:
Medical laser devices;
Imaging and radiologic equipment (whether used for diagnostic or
therapeutic purposes);
Medical equipment that is subject to federal or state law or Medicare
Conditions of Participation. It should be tested and maintained according to
manufacturers recommendations or an approach that establishes more
stringent maintenance requirements;
New medical equipment that usually does not have adequate
maintenance history to support the use of AEM strategies. The maintenance
history must include records provided by the hospitals contractors, information
made public by nationally recognized sources, and records of the hospitals
experience over time.5,6
The next CCE Prep column will discuss other changes to the Joint
Commission medical equipment standards.
Review Questions
(Answers at end of article)
1. The following element of performance (EP), which requires the
hospital to solicit input from individuals who use and service equipment
when it chooses and purchases medical equipment, was not part of the
recent revision of the Joint Commission medical equipment standards.
a) EC.02.04.01 EP 1
b) EC.02.04.01 EP 2
c) EC.02.04.01 EP 3
d) EC.02.04.01 EP 4
2. The Joint Commission defines medical equipment as ________.
a) Fixed and portable equipment used for the diagnosis, treatment, and
monitoring of individuals
b) Fixed and portable equipment used for the diagnosis, treatment, and direct
care of individuals
c) Fixed and portable equipment used for the diagnosis, treatment, monitoring,
and direct care of individuals
d) Fixed and portable equipment used for the treatment, monitoring, and direct
care of individuals
3. The Joint Commission defines high-risk equipment as _________.
a) Any device for which there is a risk of serious injury or death to a patient or
staff member if the device fails
b)Any device for which there is a risk of serious injury to a patient or staff
member if the device fails
c) Any device for which there is a risk of death to a patient or staff member if
the device fails
d) Any device for which there is a risk of serious injury or death to a patient if
the device fails
4. According to the Joint Commission, the accepted standard for
medical equipment is _______.
a) NFPA 99, 2015 Edition
b) ANSI/AAMI EQ56: 2013
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In an unstable health care environment where hospitals are experiencing financial cuts
in operations and capital purchases, to add more administrative work on an inventory
that will now include items that do not risk high enough for anything higher than a
hazard surveilance inspection or performance verification on items like otoscopes, items
that are really not economically reparable and those that are on an exchange basis will
be a nightmare to manage.
Larry Sheppard
February 25, 2015 9:48 am
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