Editor's Note In response to a May 2020 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services final rule on interoperability and patient access, The Joint Commission has created new requirements that address patient admission, discharge, and transfer notifications. The new requirements, which apply to hospitals and critical access hospitals, address the electronic…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on April 6, launched the SAFER Dashboard for its accredited healthcare organizations. The dashboard, which is accessible on an organization’s Joint Commission Connect extranet site, is a data analytic tool that allows organizations to view their survey data and national comparison data in one place.…

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers nationwide have experienced patient deaths on a scale like never before. Whether from COVID-19 or other complications, surgical services staff sometimes lose patients despite their best efforts, and these failures to rescue can leave lasting psychological or emotional scars. Many healthcare facilities have ramped…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on March 10 announced that it will be returning to unannounced onsite surveys. Beginning March 15, organizations will no longer receive a phone call or email when it has been determined the area is at low enough risk for an accreditation survey team to visit.…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 24 announced that it will be offering an Advanced Certification for Spine Surgery (ACSS) in collaboration with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). The new program will be available in July to hospitals, critical access hospitals, and ambulatory surgery centers that perform…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on February 17, announced that it had updated its information on offsite (ie, virtual) surveys and reviews. In response to COVID-19, the Joint Commission stopped most onsite surveys and reviews from March 16 to May 31, 2020, and they developed processes for offsite events. As…

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The Joint Commission stopped doing most onsite surveys and reviews from March 16 to May 31, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, they developed processes for conducting offsite or virtual events, and as of mid-December, more than 1,200 offsite surveys and reviews had been conducted across…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on January 20, announced that data collection for a new standardized performance measure assessing a patient’s functional and health status postoperatively will be required for the Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement (THKR) program. Organizations will be required to assess a patient’s…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on January 13, announced that it had approved four new elements of performance (EPs) for office-based surgery practices that prescribe medication. The EPs for Medication Management Standard MM.04.01.01, which will become effective July 1, address the following: Having a written policy that identifies specific medication…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on January 6, 2020, issued an update on offsite surveys and reviews, noting that it had stopped most onsite surveys and reviews from March 16 to May 31, 2020. During that time they developed processes for conducting offsite or virtual events. As of mid-December, more…

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