The Joint Commission joins Sync for Social Needs coalition
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The Joint Commission joins Sync for Social Needs coalition, part of White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health
Coalition seeks to integrate nutrition information within a patient’s electronic health record
(OAKBROOK TERRACE, Illinois, October 4, 2022) – The Joint Commission has joined the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health’s Sync for Social Needs coalition, committing to a role in ending hunger and reducing diet-related disease in the United States by 2030.
The Sync for Social Needs coalition brings together leading healthcare organizations and healthcare technology companies that aim to integrate nutrition information within a patient’s electronic health record via a standardized, Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR)-based approach.
As the standards-setting organization for more than 22,000 U.S. healthcare organizations, The Joint Commission is committed to working with participants to scale implementation to lower clinician burden to screen for social needs.
The Joint Commission recognizes that the social determinants of health (SDOH), the conditions in the environments where people are live, learn, work, and play, can limit an individual’s access to nutritious foods. Americans who lack access to nutritious food are disproportionately low-income, Black or Hispanic, or live in rural areas. Standardizing SDOH data collection and sharing is a crucial step in understanding and addressing the nature and extent of the problem at hand.
“Health equity is among The Joint Commission’s highest priorities. By standardizing the collection and sharing of social determinants of health data, clinicians can be better prepared to tailor a patient’s care to their environment, access and abilities,” said Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, MSHA, MACP, FACMI, president and chief executive officer, The Joint Commission. “The Joint Commission looks forward to collaborating with some of the United States’ leading healthcare organizations to address the social determinants of health that contribute to food insecurity.”
Other member organizations of the Sync for Social Needs coalition include the Department of Veterans Affairs, National Quality Forum, National Committee for Quality Assurance, HL7 International, Epic, Oracle-Cerner, Rush University System for Health, Tufts Medicine, Riverside Health System, SCAN Health Plan, Sanford Health, SSM Health, Higi, BayCare, Geisinger, Meditech, FindHelp, Wellsky, UniteUs, Graphite Health, Saffron Labs, and XanthosHealth.
For more information on the Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health and the Sync for Social Needs coalition, read the White House statement.
Furthering its commitment to health equity, The Joint Commission recently released new and revised requirements to reduce healthcare disparities that will go into effect on January 1, 2023.
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About The Joint Commission
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve healthcare for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating healthcare organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 22,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.