The Joint Commission rolled out significant changes in 2025, including plans to cut accreditation standards in half, a new nurse staffing performance requirement and updates to its hospital survey process.
Here are 21 actions and updates from the accrediting body Becker’s has covered since the start of the year, starting with the most recent:
- The accrediting body selected Arjun Srinivasan, MD, to serve as deputy chief medical officer. He will lead initiatives to improve quality and safety, reporting to the organization’s president and CMO, Elizabeth Mort, MD.
- James Merlino, MD, was named chief operating officer. He will officially step into the new role Jan. 1. Dr. Merlino previously served as chief innovation officer. He joined the organization in 2023 from Cleveland Clinic, where he served as chief clinical transformation officer.
- On Oct. 29, The Joint Commission shared more details on its new “Continuous Engagement” model. Hospitals seeking guidance and support on quality improvement between accreditation surveys can opt in to the optional model, which will launch Jan. 1. It is part of the organization’s broader accreditation process overhaul, announced last June.
- In 2026, the accredited body will formally recognize nurse staffing as a national performance goal. Under Goal 12 — a new element of performance — hospitals seeking accreditation must have a nurse executive who has oversight of staffing policies. The rule also requires hospitals to have a registered nurse on duty to provide care or supervise nursing services 24/7. The American Nurses Associated hailed the move as a “defining moment” for the profession. Read more here.
- The organization named Laura Ryan chief marketing and communications officer Oct. 7. In the role, Ms. Ryan will lead all marketing and branding initiatives at The Joint Commission and report directly to its CEO and president, Jonathan Perlin, MD, PhD. She previously led U.S. corporate communications at Ruder Finn, a global communications firm.
- In 2026, The Joint Commission will release the Survey Analysis for Evaluating Strengths. The initiative, known as SAFEST, will spotlight high-performing accredited hospitals. The organization will put together strengths reports for each hospital and use them to develop peer-to-peer learning resources for other hospitals.
- In September, The Joint Commission recognized Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital as the inaugural recipient of its Healthcare Innovation Award. The academic health system was selected for fostering a strong culture of innovation that has led to improvements in quality, safety and clinician experience.
- The accrediting body published its report on the most common sentinel events for 2024, with patient falls again topping the list. Falls accounted for 49% of reported sentinel events. Falls have led the annual list for the past four years. The commission emphasized that conclusions about the actual relative frequency of sentinel events should not be drawn from the data, since it is based on incidents healthcare organizations report voluntarily.
- The commission named the winners of its 2025 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Awards in September. This year’s recipients include Rollin (Terry) Fairbanks, MD, for individual achievement, the Children’s Hospital Association for national innovation, and the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville for Medical Sciences for local innovation. The awards honor major contributions to advancing patient safety and healthcare quality across the country. Read more about the work that led to the recipients’ recognition here.
- On Sept. 17, The Joint Commission and the Coalition for Health AI issued their first joint guidance on the use of AI in healthcare. The guidance outlines seven core principles designed to help healthcare organizations adopt AI safely and responsibly. These include establishing governance structures, protecting data security and patient privacy, assessing risk and bias, monitoring quality and ensuring staff are trained to use AI tools effectively.
- In July, The Joint Commission unveiled plans to develop a specialized accreditation framework for children’s hospitals. The organization formed a healthcare advisory committee to guide the development of an accreditation and certification framework for children’s health.
- The Joint Commission approved new and revised requirements for critical access hospitals and hospitals to align with updated CMS Conditions of Participations for obstetric care. The changes align with a CMS final rule published in November 2024 and include revisions to emergency services, discharge planning and a new obstetrical services standard. The revisions will replace The Joint Commission’s maternal safety requirements.
- The accrediting body is cutting the number of accreditation standards by 50% to reduce the regulatory burden on healthcare organizations, Jonathan Perlin, MD, PhD, president and CEO of The Joint Commission Enterprise, told Becker’s in June. The effort marks the largest standards rewrite since 1965, when Medicare was established. Read more here.
- The Joint Commission will eliminate the use of “risk areas” and the risk icon from its accreditation programs starting Jan. 1. The change reflects a shift in how the organization evaluates risk, making the old labels obsolete. Healthcare organizations will instead rely on the SAFER Matrix and SAFER Dashboard to identify and monitor high-risk areas based on survey findings.
- The SAFER Dashboard, referenced above, launched in mid-July. It allows certified healthcare organizations to utilize data from survey reviews to drive continued improvements in quality and safety.
- On May 27, Charlotte, N.C.-based Advocate Health announced it is pursuing systemwide accreditation for all 69 of its hospitals through The Joint Commission.
- Effective June 2, The Joint Commission started providing laboratories with 14 days’ advance notice of scheduled survey activity. The change, based on feedback from accredited organizations, aligns with CMS guidance for laboratories participating in the Medicare program.
- On May 7, The Joint Commission confirmed it eliminated 55 administrative positions as part of an effort to streamline operations and improve efficiency.
- In January, the commission unveiled updates to its 2025 survey process aimed at easing administrative burden and making results more actionable. Highlights include a more user-friendly survey report with executive summaries, simpler document uploads and “short names” for standards to make findings easier to digest. A new benchmarking tool will also help organizations compare performance with similar peers. Read more here.
- In March, the group created a new national event focused on advanced patient safety and care quality. The inaugural Unify2025: Convening for Quality was held in September in Washington, D.C. It brought together policy makers and healthcare leaders to explore key trends affecting patient safety and care quality. The event will include sessions on performance improvement, ethical and effective use of AI and strategies to improve outcomes through better use of health data.
- Marleina Davis was named executive vice president and chief legal officer of The Joint Commission Enterprise in January. Previously, Ms. Davis was deputy chief legal officer and assistant secretary at the Cleveland Clinic. In that role, she oversaw complex legal and operational challenges, including strategic acquisitions and partnerships.
