The Joint Commission recently released its first-ever guidance on the use of AI in healthcare and published its annual report on sentinel events.
Below are five key actions and updates from the accrediting body, starting with the most recent:
- In 2026, the 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.
- 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 recently 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 also recently named the winners of its 2025 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Awards. 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.
