The EC Tracer is one piece of the on-site survey performed by The Joint Commission during the Accreditation Process. The Site Surveyor uses the "Tracer Methodology" as the basis for a logical look at the level of compliance and systems of providing care & services for a particular group of assets.

When a Surveyor is on site, a patient record is selected. The surveyor will use that record to retrace specific care processes that an individual experienced during their stay. This "trace" can include interviews with staff, inspections of facilities, and review of facility maintenance documentation. The surveyor is gathering information to form a compliance assessment of the hospital's systems and ability to deliver safe and quality health care.

The section of the EC code dealing specifically with Medical Gas Systems, is section 7.50, which has been summarized below: section 7.50, which has been summarized below:

During an EC Tracer, the surveyor may point to a medical gas outlet that has been used by the patient and request all of the inspection, maintenance, and repair information for that outlet and every part of the system related to that outlet (pumps, compressors, manifolds, zone valves, alarm panels, etc.).

With the CHx System, a facility engineer standing by with an xPlore Rugged Tablet PC would scan the barcode related to that outlet, and all previous test and repair history for that outlet would be readily available. As well, because all of the assets are linked from source to outlet, every piece of the system related to that specific outlet would be easily accessible on the spot during the inspection.

In the example above, the Joint Commission surveyor pointed to an outlet and requested the information. Your facility engineer was on hand and was able to quickly and easily provide all of the requested information. But how did that information get there? Who verifies equipment compliance? How are ALL of those assets linked to all of the requested information. But how did that information get there? Who verifies equipment compliance?

The simple answer is that the CHx Program Software is a Building Management Program (BMP) that is designed specifically for making compliance easy. From guided questions during testing to pre-programmed schedules for ongoing testing and maintenance, the CHx Program allows you to "build" your system inside the database. The software allows you to attach vital information to each piece of equipment including testing, maintenance, or repair information. User manuals, equipment relationships, and Distribution and Control Diagrams can also be attached directly to any piece of equipment.

When a Joint Commission inspector is on site performing an EC Tracer on an outlet in your ICU, with the CHx Program, providing all of the information about the system is available at your fingertips.