Effective July 1, 2024, The Joint Commission has approved revisions to several elements of performance (EPs) for critical access hospitals (CAHs) and hospitals related to patient rights and complaint resolution. These revisions maintain consistency between the CAH and Hospital accreditation programs and align the requirements more closely to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation.
In addition, Environment of Care (EC) Standard EC.02.02.01, EP 19, has been revised for both CAHs and hospitals to clarify that organizations need to account for the disposal of regulated medical waste in their procedures. Issues related to disposal of regulated medical waste will be scored at revised EP 19.
The revised requirements will be posted on the Prepublication Standards page of The Joint Commission’s website and will publish online in the spring 2024 E-dition® update to the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Critical Access Hospitals (CAMCAH) and Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals (CAMH). For those customers who purchase it, the CAMH spring update service will include these revised requirements.
For more information, please contact the Department of Standards and Survey Methods.
Revised requirements for the Joint Commission’s Memory Care Certification for assisted living communities (ALCs) aim to improve safety and quality of care by addressing medical oversight for the care provided to ALC residents receiving memory care services and by removing barriers as to whom organizations can designate to provide medical oversight and care.
Effective July 1, 2024, Joint Commission-accredited ALCs certified in memory care will no longer be required to have a physician responsible for directing the program or providing medical services. The standards will allow for other providers, including nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists, to provide oversight and medical care.
These revisions reflect current practices in assisted living communities, state regulations and provider scope of practice requirements, feedback from Joint Commission-accredited assisted living communities, and recommendations from assisted living and memory care subject matter experts, including the AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute Care and Long-Term Care Medicine – and the Alzheimer’s Association.
The revised requirements:
- Are in the Leadership (LD), Medication Management (MM), and Provision of Care, Treatment, and Services (PC) chapters.
- Are posted on the Prepublication Standards page of The Joint Commission’s website.
- Will publish online in the spring 2024 E-dition® update to the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Assisted Living Communities (CAMALC).
For more information, please contact the Department of Standards and Survey Methods.
NAHQ next is the leading event for those working in healthcare quality and safety. Save the date for the next NAHQ next – Sept. 9-11, 2024 – and don't miss your chance to present and share your work with your colleagues and other esteemed professionals. All abstracts are due by Friday, March 8!