Lance's Corner

Joint Commission Launches New Accreditation System

Jul 7, 2025

Per the notice below, the Joint Commission has launched a new accreditation system for hospitals and other health care organizations.

Joint Commission Launches a Transformative Approach to Healthcare Accreditation

Underpinned by technology and data analytics, Accreditation 360: The New Standard, reduces burden, introduces outcome-based measures and enhances patient safety and quality care 

Joint Commission today launched Accreditation 360: The New Standard, a transformational approach to hospital and healthcare accreditation and certification.  Leveraging data analytics with a focus on benchmarking and outcomes, Accreditation 360 is designed to dramatically streamline and simplify processes, provide better support, and more efficiently share best practices across the healthcare ecosystem, ultimately redefining how the healthcare industry delivers the highest levels of healthcare quality and safety.

“Healthcare organizations today are navigating historic complexity, and the pressures are enormous,” says Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, president and CEO of Joint Commission.  “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.”

Specifically, Accreditation 360 introduces:

  1. Simplified Accreditation Process: To make accreditation smarter, lighter and more aligned with how care is delivered today, two new products will be available to healthcare organizations:
    1.  An updated Accreditation Manual that more clearly identifies Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)-directed Conditions of Participation (CoPs), while the remaining requirements and National Patient Safety Goals are being merged into Joint Commission National Performance Goals (NPGs).
    2. A Continuous Engagement Model option that offers the opportunity for ongoing support to drive successful safety and quality practices and perpetual survey readiness.

Building on the reduction of 400 requirements announced in 2023, Joint Commission is removing an additional 714 requirements from the hospital accreditation program.  And, in a move towards greater transparency, starting in July, Joint Commission standards will be available online and will be searchable by the public.

  1. Streamlined Patient Safety Practices: Joint Commission has organized and simplified its accreditation requirements into 14 NPGs, covering critical areas that all would agree are shared goals to prevent patient harm, improve outcomes, and create a safer environment for all.
  2. Certifications Focused on Outcome Measures: To shift the focus from observation of structure and process to outcome measures, The National Quality Forum (NQF), an affiliate of JC, is introducing a next-generation certification program, starting with four key areas prioritized by patients, clinicians, health systems, payers, and purchasers: Maternity Care; Hip & Knee Procedural Care; Spine Procedural Care; Cardiovascular Procedural Care.
  3. Broadened Resources: Joint Commission is introducing the Survey Analysis For Evaluating STrengths (SAFEST) Program to recognize leading practices at accredited organizations and to support the dissemination of safety and quality improvement insight.  This will ultimately evolve into a database of leading practices where surveyors can 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 Dr. 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.”

Hospital and healthcare accreditation has long played a critical role in supporting patient safety.  In its earliest iterations, accreditation aimed to set a minimum standard of care for healthcare organizations to follow—and now, more prominently, sets standards for high-quality patient care and enhancing public trust.  While standards are continually evaluated and updated for relevancy, the introduction of Accreditation 360 marks the most significant, comprehensive evolution of Joint Commission’s accreditation process since 1965.

“In today’s complex healthcare environment, accreditation must not only ensure safety and quality but also support the realities of how care is delivered across diverse organizations and geographies,” says Laura S. Kaiser, FACHE, president and CEO, SSM Health.  “With Accreditation 360, Joint Commission is responding to what health systems like ours have long needed—timely, practical support that aligns with how care is delivered today.  This new model reflects a deep understanding of the pressures we face and offers a more collaborative, outcomes-focused approach to accreditation that helps us better serve our patients and communities.”

Additional guidance and information, including a rollout timeline for the various components, can be found at: https://www.jointcommission.org/what-we-offer/accreditation/accreditation-360/.

About Joint Commission

Joint Commission enables and affirms the highest standards of healthcare quality and patient safety for all.  Founded in 1951, it is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare, evaluating more than 23,000 healthcare organizations and programs across the United States.  As an independent, nonprofit organization, Joint Commission inspires healthcare organizations across all settings to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value.  Learn more at www.jointcommission.org.

USDOL Issues Comprehensive Employer Guidance on Long COVID

The United States Department of Labor (USDOL) has issued a comprehensive set of resources that can be accessed below for employers on dealing with Long COVID.

Supporting Employees with Long COVID: A Guide for Employers

The “Supporting Employees with Long COVID” guide from the USDOL-funded Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) and Job Accommodation Network (JAN) addresses the basics of Long COVID, including its intersection with mental health, and common workplace supports for different symptoms.  It also explores employers’ responsibilities to provide reasonable accommodations and answers frequently asked questions about Long COVID and employment, including inquiries related to telework and leave.

Download the guide

Accommodation and Compliance: Long COVID

The Long COVID Accommodation and Compliance webpage from the USDOL-funded Job Accommodation Network (JAN) helps employers and employees understand strategies for supporting workers with Long COVID.  Topics include Long COVID in the context of disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), specific accommodation ideas based on limitations or work-related functions, common situations and solutions, and questions to consider when identifying effective accommodations for employees with Long COVID.  Find this and other Long COVID resources from JAN, below:

Long COVID, Disability and Underserved Communities: Recommendations for Employers

The research-to-practice brief “Long COVID, Disability and Underserved Communities” synthesizes an extensive review of documents, literature and data sources, conducted by the USDOL-funded Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) on the impact of Long COVID on employment, with a focus on demographic differences.  It also outlines recommended actions organizations can take to create a supportive and inclusive workplace culture for people with Long COVID, especially those with disabilities who belong to other historically underserved groups.

Read the brief

Long COVID and Disability Accommodations in the Workplace

The policy brief “Long COVID and Disability Accommodations in the Workplace” explores Long COVID’s impact on the workforce and provides examples of policy actions different states are taking to help affected people remain at work or return when ready.  It was developed by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) as part of its involvement in USDOL’s State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) initiative.

Download the policy brief

Understanding and Addressing the Workplace Challenges Related to Long COVID

The report “Understanding and Addressing the Workplace Challenges Related to Long COVID” summarizes key themes and takeaways from an ePolicyWorks national online dialogue through which members of the public were invited to share their experiences and insights regarding workplace challenges posed by Long COVID.  The dialogue took place during summer 2022 and was hosted by USDOL and its agencies in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Surgeon General.

Download the report

Working with Long COVID

The USDOL-published “Working with Long COVID” fact sheet shares strategies for supporting workers with Long COVID, including accommodations for common symptoms and resources for further guidance and assistance with specific situations.

Download the fact sheet

COVID-19: Long-Term Symptoms

This USDOL motion graphic informs workers with Long COVID that they may be entitled to temporary or long-term supports to help them stay on the job or return to work when ready, and shares where they can find related assistance.

Watch the motion graphic

A Personal Story of Long COVID and Disability Disclosure

In the podcast “A Personal Story of Long COVID and Disability Disclosure,” Pam Bingham, senior program manager for Intuit’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Tech team, shares her personal experience of navigating Long COVID symptoms at work.  The segment was produced by the USDOL-funded Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT) as part of its ongoing “Future of Work” podcast series.

Listen to the podcast

HHS OIG Issues Annual Report on State MFCUs

Per the notice below, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued its annual report on the performance of state Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCUs).

Medicaid Fraud Control Units Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Report (OEI-09-24-00200) 

Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCUs) investigate and prosecute Medicaid provider fraud and patient abuse or neglect. OIG is the Federal agency that oversees and annually approves federal funding for MFCUs through a recertification process. This new report analyzed the statistical data on annual case outcomes—such as convictions, civil settlements and judgments, and recoveries—that the 53 MFCUs submitted for Fiscal Year 2023.  New York data is as follows:

Outcomes

  • Investigations1 - 556
  • Indicted/Charged - 9
  • Convictions - 8
  • Civil Settlements/Judgments - 28
  • Recoveries2 - $73,204,518

Resources

  • MFCU Expenditures3 - $55,964,293
  • Staff on Board4 - 257

1Investigations are defined as the total number of open investigations at the end of the fiscal year.

2Recoveries are defined as the amount of money that defendants are required to pay as a result of a settlement, judgment, or prefiling settlement in criminal and civil cases and may not reflect actual collections.  Recoveries may involve cases that include participation by other Federal and State agencies.

3MFCU and Medicaid Expenditures include both State and Federal expenditures.

4Staff on Board is defined as the total number of staff employed by the Unit at the end of the fiscal year.

Read the Full Report

View the Statistical Chart

Engage with the Interactive Map

GAO Issues Report on Medicaid Managed Care Service Denials and Appeal Outcomes

The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report on federal use of state data on Medicaid managed care service denials and appeal outcomes.  GAO found that federal oversight is limited because it doesn't require states to report on Medicaid managed care service denials or appeal outcomes and there has not been much progress on plans to analyze and make the data publicly available.  To read the GAO report on federal use of state data on Medicaid managed care service denials and appeal outcomes, use the first link below.  To read GAO highlights of the report on federal use of state data on Medicaid managed care service denials and appeal outcomes, use the second link below.
https://www.gao.gov/assets/d24106627.pdf  (GAO report on federal use of state data on Medicaid managed care service denials and appeal outcomes)
https://www.gao.gov/assets/d24106627_high.pdf  (GAO highlights on federal use of state data on Medicaid managed care service denials and appeal outcomes)

CMS Issues Latest Medicare Regulatory Activities Update

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued its latest update on its regulatory activities in the Medicare program.  While dentistry is only minimally connected to the Medicare program, Medicare drives the majority of health care policies and insurance reimbursement policies throughout the country.  Therefore, it always pays to keep a close eye on what CMS is doing in Medicare.  To read the latest CMS update on its regulatory activities in Medicare, use the link below.
https://www.cms.gov/training-education/medicare-learning-network/newsletter/2024-03-14-mlnc