Emergency Management chapter revised for laboratories
Joint Commission accredited laboratories can expect to see a fully revised Emergency Management (EM) chapter, including new and revised EM standards, effective Jan. 1, 2025. The Joint Commission thoroughly analyzed and rewrote the EM chapter, which resulted in a reduction in the number of elements of performance (EPs) by more than 28% for laboratories, reorganized requirements and renumbered standards.
Please note that these requirements are not applicable if the laboratory is part of a Joint Commission accredited organization (such as a hospital, critical access hospital, or ambulatory care organization). However, these laboratories must demonstrate how it collaborates with the organization’s EM leader(s) about any laboratory-specific needs related to the organization’s EM program.
The goal of the EM chapter rewrite is to help healthcare organizations to develop more comprehensive EM programs and to better prepare for the health, safety, and security needs of their facilities, staff, patient populations, and communities during emergencies or disasters (such as a natural disaster, cybersecurity attack, high-consequence infectious disease, or special pathogen). The new and revised EM requirements clarify and emphasize the following:
- Assessing, applying, and incorporating the hazard vulnerability analysis throughout the entire EM chapter
- Ensuring that organization leaders are involved in and overseeing all aspects of the EM program
- Educating and training staff, with specific guidance for initial and ongoing EM training
The project’s program-specific R³ Report provides rationales for the requirements as well as references to the research articles and reports used to develop them. In addition to an extensive literature review, the new and revised requirements were developed based on feedback resulting from the pandemic, public field review, expert guidance from a standards review panel, and an internal Joint Commission EM workgroup.
The new and revised requirements are posted on the Prepublication Standards page of The Joint Commission’s website, will publish online in the fall 2024 E-dition® update to the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Laboratories and Point-of-Care Testing (CAMLAB), and in the hard-copy and PDF versions of the 2025 CAMLAB.
For more information, please contact The Joint Commission’s Standards and Survey Methods.