Joint Commission announces standards reduction

OAKBROOK TERRACE - The Joint Commission Wednesday said it is eliminating 168 standards and revising 14 others across its accreditation programs to streamline requirements and make them as efficient and impactful on patient safety, quality and equity as possible.

In addition, the Oakbrook Terrace-based commission is not raising its accreditation fees for U.S. hospitals in 2023 in recognition of the many financial challenges hospitals and health systems continue to face.

"The standards reduction will help streamline Joint Commission requirements, as well as provide some much-needed relief to health care professionals and organizations as they continue to recover from the pandemic," said Dr. Jonathan B. Perlin, president and chief executive officer, the Joint Commission.

In addition to a direct review of each standard, the Joint Commission conducted quantitative analyses of scoring patterns and tested for redundancy before approving the changes. Where necessary, it also led literature and field reviews and engaged experts within the field, the commission said.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved the recommended discontinued standards after confirming they do not diminish any CMS regulatory requirements. Importantly, a second tranche of standards is under consideration for elimination or revision, and a second announcement of burden reduction is anticipated in approximately six months, the Joint Commission said.