Effective June 2: Advance Survey Notification for Labs

Effective June 2, 2025, laboratories will be eligible for advance notification of scheduled survey events. This change represents the Joint Commission’s continued commitment to taking action in response to feedback from accredited organizations, including program improvements aimed at reducing burden. It also aligns with survey guidance issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for laboratories seeking to enroll or maintain enrollment in the Medicare program.

Advance notification will be made up to 14 calendar days before the scheduled laboratory survey activity. The following events are excluded from advance notification:

• Complaint surveys
• Follow-up surveys due to previously identified noncompliance
• Laboratory surveys occurring simultaneously with another accreditation program’s unannounced survey activity (for example, hospital surveys)

An e-mail with details about the survey event, including the scheduled surveyor(s), will be sent to the organization’s CEO and primary lab contact via its secure Joint Commission Connect® extranet site. These details can also be found in the “Event Notification” section of Joint Commission Connect. 

Please contact your organization’s Joint Commission laboratory account executive with questions.