Standards in Support of Language and Culture

The Joint Commission views the issue of the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate health care services as an important quality and safety issue and a key element in individual-centered care. It is well recognized that the individual’s involvement in care decisions is not only an identified right, but is a necessary source of accurate assessment and treatment information. The Joint Commission has been studying these issues through its Hospitals, Language, and Culture: A Snapshot of the Nation (HLC) study, and HLC staff have developed several resources that highlight The Joint Commission standards that support the provision of care, treatment, and services in a manner that is conducive to the communication, cultural, language, health literacy, and spiritual/religious needs of individuals.

• To access a copy of The Joint Commission 2009 Requirements Related to the Provision of Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Health Care click on the links below.  A comprehensive list of Joint Commission standards that support culturally competent patient-centered care are available for the following programs:
  
  
  • Ambulatory Health Care Accreditation Program (AHC)
  • Behavioral Health Care Accreditation Program (BHC)
  • Critical Access Hospitals Accreditation Program (CAH)
  • Hospital Accreditation Program (HAP)
  • Long Term Care Accreditation Program (LTC)
  • Home Care Accreditation Program (OME)
    
    
• Access a copy of Office of Minority Health National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards Crosswalked to Joint Commission 2009 Standards, a document that identifies which Joint Commission standards best support the CLAS requirements.
  
• Read Promoting Effective Communication—Language Access Services in Health Care, an article published in the February 2008 issue of The Joint Commission Perspectives that addresses language barriers and language services.
  
• Learn more about The Joint Commission accreditation standards.

For more information on the Hospitals, Language, and Culture study or to sign up for the HLC list serve, contact us at hlc-info@jointcommission.org.