On June 3, 2008, The Joint Commission announced that the implementation date of revised standard MS.1.20 would be delayed. Revised MS.1.20 will not go into effect on July 1, 2009, as previously planned. No new implementation date has been announced.

Background into the issues surrounding MS.1.20 is available in prior E-Mail Alerts from October 2007 and January 2008. As we have been predicting, we continue to doubt MS.1.20 will go into effect in its present form. We again recommend, based on the likelihood of future revisions and the current delay in implementation, that hospitals not take action on the revised MS.1.20.

This E-Mail Alert was prepared by Catherine Ballard. Please contact any member of the Bricker & Eckler LLP Health Care group for more information.