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®, December 2007)

APPROVED

• Transplant Center Certification Program standards to recognize the unique care needs of solid organ (for example, kidney, liver, heart) transplant patients, effective January 1, 2008
• Revisions to fire-safety equipment maintenance Standard EC.5.40, Element of Performance 14, for the ambulatory care, behavioral health care, critical access hospital, home care, hospital, long term care, and office-based surgery programs, effective January 1, 2008
• Standards Improvement Initiative: Revised “Infection Prevention and Control” (IC), “Management of Information” (IM), and “Improving Organization Performance” (PI) chapters for the ambulatory care, critical access hospital, hospital, home care, and office-based surgery programs, effective January 1, 2009

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: Revised “Provision of Care” (PC) and “Patient Rights and Responsibilities” (RI) chapters for the ambulatory care, critical access hospital, hospital, home care, and office-based surgery programs

IN COMMITTEE OR BOARD REVIEW

• Standards Improvement Initiative: Revised “Management of the Environment of Care” (EC), “Management of Human Resources” (HR), and “Medication Management” (MM) chapters for the ambulatory care, critical access hospital, hospital, home care, and office-based surgery programs
• Field review of thrombolytic therapy revisions to the advanced disease-specific care certification program for primary stroke centers

CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT
STANDARDS

• Development of a health care staffing services certification program for services such as palliative care
• Comprehensive Standards Improvement Initiative encompassing 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
• Potential 2009 National Patient Safety Goals
• Proposed revisions to the Opioid Treatment Program standards based on recent revisions to the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment’s accreditation guidelines for the behavioral health care program

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 by visiting the following direct link:
http://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/23201/

IN DEVELOPMENT AT JCI

• International primary care standards
• Revisions to ambulatory care standards
• Revisions to disease-specific care certification standards
• Revisions to laboratory standards to begin in 2008