The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed adoption of the 2012 edition of the Life Safety Code (LSC) to simplify fire safety compliance, according to an article on the National Law Review website.
Medicare and Medicaid providers must comply with any changes to continue to be eligible for payments from the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Significant changes proposed through adoption of the 2012 editions of the LSC and Health Care Facilities Code include, but are not limited to:
• Requiring high-rise healthcare facilities to install automatic sprinkler systems
• Implementing an evacuation procedure in the event the healthcare facility’s sprinkler system is out of order
• Allowing healthcare facilities to increase patient suite size
• Allowing for controlled-access doors to prevent wandering patients and child abductions