In recent weeks, The Joint Commission has introduced major changes to hospital accreditation standards, updated obstetric care requirements and shared plans to retire the “risk” icon from its programs.
Below are five key actions and updates from the accrediting body, starting with the most recent:
- 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 has 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 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.
