In a recent Q&A on the FacilityCare website, consultant Brad Keyes answered a question about medical gas system deficiencies.

Q: Are the medical gas system, the vacuum system and the medical air system all considered to be life safety issues that should be added to the Statements of Condition, or can I simply write an assessment and run that through my normal process of solving the problem and then report it to my safety committee?

A: As far as I can tell, it is not addressed officially by The Joint Commission. To be sure, items on the Plan for Improvement (PFI) list are reserved for LSC deficiencies. So the question is, “Are deficiencies in the medical gas system considered LSC deficiencies?” Nowhere that I can see does The Joint Commission officially address this question. And when there is no official position provided, you will likely receive conflicting answers from various representatives of The Joint Commission.

Read the full answer.