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UPDATE JANUARY 2019: This partnership has been discontinued due to low demand for BuildingReports-branded versions, but members still interested in acquiring Compliance Binders can still order them direct from L&R.

Managing and organizing the massive amount of paper reporting required by CMS accredited agencies can be a massive headache for healthcare facility professionals. L&R’s Optix Compliance Binders™ provide a turn-key system for rapid deployment of consistent, ready-to-use compliance document organization across healthcare facilities. BuildingReports is pleased to announce that we’ve partnered with L&R to provide BuildingReports branded versions for DNV GL, Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP) and The Joint Commission (TJC).

This value-added service enables members to provide consistently branded and formatted reporting that allows your customers to:

• Reclaim several man-days of Facilities staff time lost annually to binder development
• Reduce risk of compliance infractions and fines
• Improve survey readiness and compliance in the document review portion of accreditation audits
• Deploy a system that is uniform for every facility in their enterprise

For a relatively low cost, including the binder sets as part of your healthcare service offering gives your organization a competitive edge, helping you retain customers for life. Over 600 healthcare facilities currently depend on on ComplianceBinders.com today, but BuildingReports is the only solution provider to offer this specifically to ITM companies in its member network. While you can opt to recoup your costs by reselling them, we strongly encourage you to consider providing them as part of your standard healthcare service contracts.

However, it is strongly advised that members work closely with their customer and Account Manager to confirm which variables are required by the end user. There are several variables that must be considered during the ordering process, including:

What accreditation has the facility been classified as by The Joint Commission?

• Acute Care Hospital: This can be a range of hospital and healthcare facilities that allow for inpatient services (as opposed to Ambulatory Surgery Centers below). This is likely where the vast majority of our members’ customers will fall, as opposed to Critical Access Hospitals that require a special designation in order to serve communities that may not otherwise have access to acute care medical services.
• Critical Access Hospital: A designation given to certain rural hospitals by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This designation was created by Congress in the 1997 Balanced Budget Act in response to a string of hospital closures in the 1980s and early 1990s. The CAH designation is designed to reduce the financial vulnerability of rural hospitals and improve access to healthcare by keeping essential services in rural communities. This is accomplished through cost-based Medicare reimbursement. There are over 1,800 currently in the US, and over 300 of them are accredited by the TJC.
• Ambulatory Surgery Center: An ASC must be certified and approved to enter into a written agreement with CMS. Participation as an ASC is limited to any distinct entity that operates exclusively for the purpose of providing surgical services to patients not requiring hospitalization and in which the expected duration of services would not exceed 24 hours following an admission. An unanticipated medical circumstance may arise that would require an ASC patient to stay in the ASC longer than 24 hours, but such situations should be rare.

What size binder does the facility need for each of the 2 to 15 volumes available in each set?

This largely depends on the size of the facility. For example, Critical Access Hospitals by definition have a limited number of beds, so that set for The Joint Commission reporting is only available in the 2 inch size. They will likely need to understand how many pages their reports are, or what thickness their historical binders have been, for each designated binder, which means sitting down with the customer to finalize requirements.

Also, please keep in mind that these binder sets go beyond the reporting healthcare BuildingReports provides for fire and life safety. The 15-binder sets are broken down as follows:

• Volume 1 – Environment of Care
• Volume 2 – Fire Equipment Book 1
• Volume 3 – Fire Equipment Book 2
• Volume 4 – Fire Equipment Book 3
• Volume 5 – Fire Drill Reports
• Volume 6 – Hazardous Materials
• Volume 7 – Utility Systems
• Volume 8 – Medical Equipment
• Volume 9 – Safety & Security
• Volume 10 – Emergency Management
• Volume 11 – Construction Projects
• Volume 12 – Safe & Functional Environment
• Volume 13 – Plant Operations
• Volume 14 – Permits & Licenses
• Water Management Program

To determine what thickness of binder is needed, refer to the following guide based on the thickness of the reporting for each (2″, 3″, 4″ or 5″):

When you have the required information for your order, follow these steps to purchase:

1. Register for an account at http://buildingreports.compliancebinders.com
2. Select the CMS accredited agency version for the facility in question from the catalog.
3. Select the binder and corresponding tabs (monthly, quarterly or semi-annual) need.
4. If applicable, customize the thickness for each binder in the set.
5. Proceed to checkout.

For assistance, please contact your Account Manager.