Editor's Note The Joint Commission is revising its standards to better address risks related to fluoroscopy in the Ambulatory Care, Critical Access Hospital, Hospital, and Office-Based Surgery accreditation programs. The changes are being made to further promote patient safety and quality of care in addition to aligning the accreditation requirements…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 26 posted a reminder that whenever non-waived laboratory services are provided on-site (either directly or through contract) within a Joint Commission accredited facility, a separate 2-year cycle laboratory accreditation survey must also be conducted either by the Joint Commission or one of its…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 14 announced that accredited hospitals should start thinking about electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) success stories to share in the 2018 Pioneers in Quality Proven Practices Collection. Proven Practices was launched last year and is a peer-to-peer sharing of specific practices that an…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 7 announced that it is seeking comments on proposed revisions to its credentialing and privileging standards for contract services in Hospital, Critical Access Hospital, Ambulatory Health Care, Office-based Surgery, Nursing Care Center, and Behavioral Health Care accreditation programs. The revisions clarify or consolidate existing…

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Editor's Note Joint Commission Resources on January 17 released the 2018 Hospital Compliance Assessment Checklist, a self-assessment workbook designed to help organizations with standards compliance and survey readiness. In addition to hospital standards and elements of performance (EP), this year’s Checklist includes: High-level prompts to promote staff discussion and cultivate…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on January 10 announced that three new requirements for maternal status assessment and documentation will become effective July 1, 2018, for accredited hospitals and critical access hospitals that offer obstetric services, specifically labor and delivery. The new requirements were designed to: Document or assess the…

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Editor's Note Joint Commission Resources announced on January 3 the release of two new publications to help organizations comply with requirements for accreditation. “Medical Staff Essentials” breaks down difficult concepts in the Medical Staff (MS) standards. “Root Cause Analysis in Health Care: Tools and Techniques” provides a systematic approach to…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on January 3 announced that it is no longer requiring hospitals, critical access hospitals, or ambulatory care organizations to credential and privilege pathologists who provide diagnostic services through independent reference (contract) laboratories. The Joint Commission says accredited organizations can safely presume that pathologists who work…

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When Medicare and Medicaid legislation was passed and signed into law in 1965, the US Congress formed the precursor federal agency to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to write the rules and regulations spelling out the “Conditions of Participation” (CoPs) required to obtain federal funding under these…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on December 12 posted its summary of changes to accreditation and certification decision rules for all programs for 2018. Changes include initial accreditation, reaccreditation, and certification. The decision rules are effective for surveys and reviews beginning January 1, 2018.   Joint Commission requirement. Read More…

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