Our organization provides non-invasive ventilators to rent for home care patients and are looking for guidelines as to how many we should have on hand. Is there a number of back-up ventilators we should have available ?

Any examples are for illustrative purposes only.

The Joint Commission does not mandate and/or prescribe how many Non-Invasive Ventilators (NIV) organizations should have as back-up for their NIV patients. Our  standards are not written to that level of detail to define those requirements. Home ventilator services are determined by any applicable state or federal law/regulations and your organization's "Home Ventilator Program" policies and procedures. Your agency could perform a risk assessment based on the geographic location of your patients, complexity of the patients and potential equipment failures for the services you're providing. 

Organizations that use Joint Commission accreditation for deemed status purposes should monitor the CMS website as waivers are being approved frequently and may include state-specific waivers. 


Additional Resources:
The Joint Commission:   Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance and Resources