The Joint Commission announces its new Telehealth Accreditation Program (TEL) for eligible hospitals, ambulatory and behavioral healthcare organizations effective July 1, 2024. The new program was developed for healthcare organizations that provide care, treatment, or services only via telehealth. Hospitals and other healthcare organizations that have written agreements in place to provide care, treatment, or services via telehealth to another organization’s patients have the option to apply for the new accreditation.
During the beginning years of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the use of telehealth increased 154% and then stabilized and remained at levels 38 times higher than 2019. As telehealth continues to move into additional settings and evolve, it affords more people to have access to healthcare services. The Joint Commission currently accredits the largest number of organizations that provide care, treatment, or services via a telehealth platform, and is the largest accrediting body in the U.S.
In keeping pace with the continuing growth of virtual care, The Joint Commission is providing its new Telehealth Accreditation Program, which provides updated, streamlined standards that support a more meaningful survey process reflective of contemporary telehealth modalities.
The Telehealth program requirements contain many of the standards similar to other Joint Commission accreditation programs, such as requirements for information management, leadership, medication management, patient identification, documentation, and credentialing and privileging. Some of the requirements specific to the new Telehealth program are:
- Streamlined emergency management requirements to address providing care and clinical support remotely rather than in a physical building.
- New standards for telehealth provider education and patient education about the use of telehealth platforms and devices.
- New standards chapter focused on equipment, devices, and connectivity.
The new Telehealth Accreditation Program will replace the current telehealth and technology-based accreditation products in the Joint Commission Ambulatory Health Care and Behavioral Health Care and Human Services accreditation programs for organizations that meet the new eligibility criteria.
For more information about the new Telehealth Accreditation Program, customers can contact their account executive; new customers can start by contacting AHCQuality@jointcommission.org.
The National Academy of Medicine is co-hosting the first ever Climate and Health Day with Kaiser Permanente and Climate Group as part of the U.S. Climate Action Summit. Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, president and CEO of The Joint Commission, will be speaking on the panel “Synergistic Approaches in Climate, Health, and Equity Initiatives,” one of four panels exploring different aspects of climate and health.
The goals of the free, public program are to:
- Hear from global leaders on driving actionable change to address climate change
- Delve into the impacts of climate change on health, including risks, impacts, and equitable solutions
- Highlight opportunities for cross-sectoral collaboration and partnership building for mitigation and adaptation
- Explore mechanisms for creating climate-resilient communities and elevating community experience and expertise
Don’t miss your chance to earn recognition for your healthcare organization’s healthcare equity achievements and share your best practices nationally through the Bernard J. Tyson National Award for Excellence in Pursuit of Healthcare Equity. The application closes Tuesday, April 30.
The Tyson Award program, presented in partnership with Kaiser Permanente, seeks to honor the legacy of their late CEO and chairman Bernard J. Tyson, who worked tirelessly to address the disparities that plague the U.S. healthcare system. The award program will recognize a healthcare organization that led an initiative that achieved a measurable, sustained reduction in one or more disparities.
There is no cost to apply. Please visit the Tyson Award webpage for eligibility criteria, application resources, and to submit an application.
Registration is open for an upcoming free Accelerate PI™ webinar which provides an opportunity for accredited hospitals to learn from high performing peers on the topic of clinical transformation for the safe reduction of cesarean birth rates. The webinar is scheduled for May 15, 2024, noon-1 pm ET | 11 am-noon CT | 10-11 am MT | 9-10 am PT.
During the session, Mount Sinai Health System will present their accomplishments implementing a robust equity dashboard and answer questions during a live Q&A segment. These webinars are intended for leaders, managers, and point of care staff. Speakers from Mount Sinai Health System include:
- Toni Stern, MD, MS, MBA, vice chair, Quality, Clinical Transformation & Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Desmond Sutton, MD, director, Obstetric Quality and Patient Safety
- Alana Noble, MBA, director, Clinical Data Operations
This webinar is approved for 1.0 Continuing Education Credit. The webinar recording and slides will be available at the registration link approximately two hours after the session concludes.