The Joint Commission has launched a set of initiatives since the start of 2025 that reflect its evolving approach to accreditation, leadership and quality improvement.
Below are four key actions and updates the accrediting body has made, starting with the most recent:
- 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 will be held in September in Washington, D.C., bringing 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.
- In February, the accrediting body opened the application period for two prominent awards: the 2025 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Awards and the Bernard J. Tyson National Award for Excellence in Pursuit of Healthcare Equity. Both application periods were open through March 31 and recognize efforts to advance safety, quality and health equity.
The Eisenberg Awards are presented in collaboration with the National Quality Forum to honor individuals and organizations whose work has achieved measurable quality and safety improvements at either the national or local level. The Tyson Award, presented with Kaiser Permanente, recognizes healthcare organizations that have made sustained, data-backed reductions in healthcare disparities for vulnerable populations.
- 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.