The Joint Commission revises HCSS certification program

Editor's Note

The Joint Commission announced on August 4 that revisions to three Health Care Staffing Services (HCCS) certification standards will go into effect January 1, 2022.

The changes include:

• Human Resources Management (HSHR) Standard HSHR.3 will now clarify that this is the organization’s new employee orientation for clinical staff and specifies that orientation takes place before the new hire’s first assignment start date.
• HSHR.4 will no longer include clinical staff supervisors, which will result in the deletion of EPs 5 and 6 and replacing them with new EPs 8 and 9. EP 8 requires that staffing organizations perform competence assessments and reassessments of clinical professionals and that the clinical professionals have knowledge and experience reflecting that of other clinical staff. EP 9 requires staffing organizations to implement procedures that identify and document circumstances in which these clinical professionals will be engaged.
• Leadership (HSLD) Standard HSLD.9, EP 5 will now specify that emergency management plan testing includes the test date and any ways to improve the plan.