This column informs you of developments and potential revisions that can affect your accreditation and tracks proposed changes before they are implemented. Items may drop off this list before the approval stage if they were rejected at some point in the process. (Reprinted from Perspectives®, April 2008)

APPROVED

• Standards Improvement Initiative: Revised “Life Safety” (LS), first half of “Provision of Care, Treatment, and Services” (PC), and “Ethics, Rights, and Responsibilities” (RI) chapters for the ambulatory care, critical access hospital, home care, hospital, and office-based surgery programs
• Methodology for conducting unannounced surveys within an 18–39 month window (see pages 1, 3–4 in this issue)

JOINT COMMISSION FIELD REVIEW

Field review notifications are sent out electronically, as well as posted on The Joint Commission Web site. If you would like to be added to the electronic notification list, please contact the Division of Standards and Survey Methods at 630/792-5912.

• Standards Improvement Initiative: “Surveillance, Prevention, and Control of Infection” (IC), “Management of Information” (IM), and “Improving Organization Performance” (PI) chapters for the behavioral health care, long term care, Medicare/Medicaid certification-based long term care, and laboratory programs

IN COMMITTEE OR BOARD REVIEW

• Standards Improvement Initiative: Revised “Emergency Management” (EM), “Equipment Management” (EQ), “Nursing” (NR), the second half of “Provision of Care, Treatment, and Services” (PC), “Record of Care, Treatment, and Services” (RC), “Transplantation Safety” (TS), and “Waived Testing” (WT), chapters for the ambulatory care, critical access hospital, home care, hospital, and office-based surgery programs
• Proposed revisions to medication management Standards MM.4.10 and MM.8.10 for the critical access hospital and hospital programs
• Proposed revisions to the Opioid Treatment Programs based on recent revisions to the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment’s accreditation guidelines for the behavioral health care program
• New Distinct Part Units (DPU) requirements for the critical access hospital program
• Health care services certification program for services such as palliative care
  

CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT
STANDARDS

• Comprehensive Standards Improvement Initiative encompassing the ambulatory care, critical access hospital, home care, hospital, and office-based surgery programs
• Comprehensive Standards Improvement Initiative encompassing the behavioral healthcare, long term care, Medicare/Medicaid certification-based long term care, and laboratory programs
• Potential standards related to Health Information Technology

JOINT COMMISSION INTERNATIONAL

Field review notifications are sent out electronically, as well as posted on the Joint Commission International (JCI) Web site. If you would like to be added to the electronic notification list, please sign up online .

IN DEVELOPMENT AT JCI

• Revisions to international ambulatory care standards
• Revisions to international disease-specific care certification standards
• Revisions to international laboratory standards

IN COMMITTEE REVIEW

• International standards for primary care