Joint Commission standards are the basis of an objective evaluation process for health care organizations that can help measure, assess and improve organization performance. The standards focus on important patient, client or resident care and organization functions that are essential to providing quality care in a safe environment. The Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards set expectations for organization performance that are reasonable, achievable and surveyable.
Standards development process
Joint Commission standards are developed with input from health care professionals, providers, measurement experts, consumers, government agencies and employers. New standards are added only when they will have a direct effect on the quality or safety of care. The standards development process includes the following steps:
- The need for new standards is identified by accredited organizations, professional associations, consumer groups and others.
- The Joint Commission prepares draft standards using input from external task forces, focus groups and experts.
- The draft standards are reviewed by field-specific Professional and Technical Advisory Committee(s) and a committee of the Board of Commissioners.
- The draft standards are sent to the field and other stakeholders for review.
- The draft standards are revised and reviewed by the appropriate PTAC(s) and the Board.
- The approved standards are published for use by the field.
Standards manuals
Each accredited organization receives one free copy of the applicable comprehensive standards manual. The manuals are divided into two sections. Section 1 covers patient, client or resident-focused functions that relate directly to the provision of care, treatment and services:
- Ethics, rights and responsibilities
- Provision of care, treatment and services
- Medication management
- Surveillance, prevention and control of infection
Section 2 contains organization functions that are vital to the organization’s ability to provide high-quality care, treatment and services:
- Improving organization performance
- Leadership
- Management of the environment of care
- Management of human resources
- Management of information
- In addition, the hospital manual contains two extra chapters with standards specific to the medical staff and nursing services.
Standards Improvement Initiative
In August 2006, The Joint Commission launched a Standards Improvement Initiative as part of its continuous effort to improve the standards. The goal of this initiative is to make the standards more clear, objective, and program-specific, and to refine scoring of the standards. The manuals will also be reorganized.
Improvements — both structural and language changes — are targeted to go into effect January 2009 for the ambulatory, critical access hospital, home care, hospital, and office-based surgery programs. Beginning in 2008, feedback will be sought on standards for the behavioral health care, laboratory and long term care accreditation programs.
WikiHealthCare™ and standards development
Beginning in mid-2007, any health care professional can collaborate to develop standards and quality improvement solutions through The Joint Commission’s WikiHealthCareTM application. This Internet-based forum can be accessed through a link on The Joint Commission’s home page, or directly at wikihealthcare.jointcommission.org. Those who are registered on the site can discuss content, edit existing content, and create new content which is then available to the entire community.
For more information
To see the latest initiatives, improvements and FAQs about Joint Commission standards, go to www.jointcommission.org/Standards.