Joint Commission Unveils Streamlined Accreditation Process

The Joint Commission this week launched Accreditation 360: The New Standard, its new approach to healthcare accreditation and certification, which promises to streamline and simplify the accreditation process. This includes removing 714 requirements from the hospital accreditation program and making standards available online and searchable by the public.

“Healthcare organizations today are navigating historic complexity, and the pressures are enormous,” says Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, president and CEO of Joint Commission, in a release. “Healthcare is also changing, and Joint Commission must change, too. Accreditation 360 directly responds to what this moment demands. Designed by a team of operationally experienced healthcare leaders, this new model removes standards whose time has passed, and we are introducing a suite of novel tools for benchmarking and performance support. Reducing burden helps busy clinicians and healthcare organizations focus on what matters most: delivering the safest, highest-quality and most compassionate healthcare possible.”

According to the accreditor, Accreditation 360 includes the following:

• A simplified accreditation process that includes a new manual that more clearly identifies Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)-directed Conditions of Participation (CoP), with the remaining requirements and National Patient Safety Goals merged into Joint Commission National Performance Goals (NPG). It also introduces a Continuous Engagement Model option that offers ongoing support to drive successful safety and quality practices and ongoing survey readiness. The Joint Commission is removing 714 requirements from the hospital program after having previously reduced 400 requirements in 2023.
• Streamlined patient safety practices that involve organizing and simplifying its accreditation requirements into 14 NPGs, which cover critical areas that are shared goals to prevent patient harm, improve outcomes, and create a safer environment for all.
• Certifications focused on outcome measures that shift the focus from observation of structure and process to outcome measures. The National Quality Forum, a Joint Commission affiliate, is introducing a next-generation certification program that starts with four key areas: Maternity Care, Hip & Knee Procedural Care, Spine Procedural Care, and Cardiovascular Procedural Care.
• Broadened resources highlighed by the new Survey Analysis For Evaluating STrengths (SAFEST) Program, which will recognize leading practices at accredited organizations and support the dissemination of safety and quality improvement insights. This will eventually become a database of leading practices that surveyors can use to access organizations’ performance strengths for industry-wide collaborative learning

“Accreditation is about both upholding the public trust in safety and supporting healthcare organizations in driving their quality agenda,” added Perlin. “Our new leadership team is comprised of clinicians and healthcare executives who have been on the other side of accreditation surveys. We believe the accreditation process can and should also be about supporting, troubleshooting and best-practice sharing—and Accreditation 360 reflects that. Healthcare leaders across the country contributed to the design of this new model and we are proud to bring it forward.”

Visit https://www.jointcommission.org/what-we-offer/accreditation/accreditation-360/ for additional guidance and information, including a rollout timeline for the various components.