The following communication guidelines have been developed to help your organization publicize its accreditation. The Joint Commission requires that an accredited organization accurately describe the nature and meaning of its award of accreditation. Any accredited organization that materially misleads the public about any matter relating to its accreditation may have to undertake appropriate corrective advertising or risk loss of accreditation.
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If your organization has sites or offers services that are not accredited, any reference to accreditation must clearly specify which sites or services are accredited. For example, if your organization is comprised of multiple service components, such as a hospital with a long term care component, and the Joint Commission did NOT review your long term care component, you must insert the following language into your news release: “This award excludes skilled nursing and nursing home services.”
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Accreditation does not “endorse” or “guarantee” an organization’s quality or safety of care; nor does it “prove,” “assure” or “testify” that an organization provides high quality, safe care.
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Accurately state the organization’s accreditation accomplishment. To say that your organization is the “first” or the “only” organization in the area to receive accreditation may not be true and can be misleading.
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Your organization is not permitted to publicize its accreditation decision until the decision is posted to your secure extranet site. If you are unsure about the status of a decision, contact your organization’s account executive.