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Standards
Measure, assess, and improve your performance.
Joint Commission standards are the basis of an objective evaluation process that can help health care organizations measure, assess and improve performance. The standards focus on important patient, individual, or resident care and organization functions that are essential to providing safe, high quality care. The Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards set expectations for organization performance that are reasonable, achievable and surveyable.
Joint Commission standards are the basis of an objective evaluation process that can help health care organizations measure, assess and improve performance. The standards focus on important patient, individual, or resident care and organization functions that are essential to providing safe, high quality care. The Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards set expectations for organization performance that are reasonable, achievable and surveyable.
Joint Commission Standards
Joint Commission standards help you develop strategies to address the most complex issues and identify key vulnerabilities in the patient care experience. The standards review various aspects of your patient care process, ensuring a comprehensive review of your patient care process.
The accreditation and certification standards manuals are available in print and electronic formats and can be purchased from Joint Commission Resources®.
National Patient Safety Goals
Find out about the 2020 National Patient Safety Goals® (NPSG) for specific programs.
Field Reviews
Contribute to our knowledge base
The Joint Commission regularly updates its requirements for accreditation. As part of that process, we seek input from health care professionals and others with knowledge in a variety of settings. You can help by reading and commenting on proposed requirements related to your practice area.
Prepublication Standards
Prepublication standards are used to communicate upcoming changes to our standards and Elements of Performance (EPs). The reports are posted before being published in E-dition and the comprehensive manuals.
Standards FAQs
For answers to frequently asked questions about standards, please visit the Standards Interpretation section.
Universal Protocol
The Universal Protocol is accessible as part of the National Patient Safety Goal chapter from your accreditation manual.
Requirements
Joint Commission Requirements is a free listing of all policy revisions to standards published in Joint Commission Perspectives that have gone into effect since the accreditation/certification manual was last issued.
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Standards
- About Our Standards
- Standards Field Reviews
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National Patient Safety Goals
- National Patient Safety Goals
- Ambulatory Health Care: 2021 National Patient Safety Goals
- Behavioral Health Care and Human Services: 2021 National Patient Safety Goals
- Critical Access Hospital 2021 National Patient Safety Goals
- Home Care 2021 National Patient Safety Goals
- Hospital: 2021 National Patient Safety Goals
- Laboratory Services: 2021 National Patient Safety Goals
- Nursing Care Center 2021 National Patient Safety Goals
- Office-Based Surgery: 2021 National Patient Safety Goals
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Prepublication Standards
- Prepublication Standards
- New and Revised Workplace Violence Prevention Requirements
- Revised Accreditation Participation Requirements at APR.04.01.01
- Ventricular Assist Device Program Revisions
- Updated Data Registry Requirements for Specific Advanced Disease Specific Care Certification Programs
- Certification Participation Requirement Revisions
- Editorial Changes to Care, Treatment, and Services Chapter
- Home Health and Hospice Requirements Updated to Maintain Alignment with CMS
- New and Revised Performance Improvement Accreditation Standards
- New and Revised Requirements for Resuscitation
- New and Revised Sprinkler Head Requirements
- New Interoperability and Patient Access Requirements for Hospital and Critical Access Hospitals
- New Water Management Requirements
- Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) Revisions for Critical Access Hospitals
- Revised Medical Staff (MS) Chapter Requirements for Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals
- Revisions for Advanced Disease-Specific Care Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Certification
- Revisions related to the APR Chapter
- Applicability of MM.04.01.01 to the Office-Based Surgery
- EC and LS Changes for BHC
- Emergency Management Standard EM.03.01.03 Revisions for Home Care
- New Life Safety Code Business Occupancy Requirements
- Revised Requirements for Organizations Performing Operative or High-Risk Procedures
- Updates to the Patient Blood Management Certification Program Requirements
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R3 Report
- R3 Report
- R3 Report Issue 31: New and Revised Performance Improvement Accreditation Standards
- R3 Report Issue 30: Workplace Violence Prevention Standards
- R3 Report Issue 29: Resuscitation Standards for Hospitals
- R3 Report Issue 28: Resuscitation Standards for Critical Access Hospitals
- R3 Report Issue 27: New and Revised Standards for Child Welfare Agencies
- R3 Report Issue 26: Advanced Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement Certification Standards
- R3 Report Issue 25: Enhanced Substance Use Disorders Standards for Behavioral Health Organizations
- R3 Report Issue 24: PC Standards for Maternal Safety
- R3 Report Issue 23: Antimicrobial Stewardship in Ambulatory Health Care
- R3 Report Issue 22: Pain Assessment and Management Standards for Home Health Services
- R3 Report Issue 21: Pain Assessment and Management Standards for Nursing Care Centers
- R3 Report Issue 20: Pain Assessment and Management Standards for Behavioral Health Care
- R3 Report Issue 19: National Patient Safety Goal for Anticoagulant Therapy
- R3 Report Issue 18: National Patient Safety Goal for Suicide Prevention
- R3 Report Issue 17: Distinct Newborn Identification Requirement
- R3 Report Issue 16: Pain Assessment and Management Standards for Office-Based Surgeries
- R3 Report Issue 15: Pain Assessment and Management Standards for Critical Access Hospitals
- R3 Report Issue 14: Pain Assessment and Management Standards for Ambulatory Care
- R3 Report Issue 13: Revised Outcome Measures Standard for Behavioral Health Care
- R3 Report Issue 12: Maternal Infectious Disease Status Assessment and Documentation Standards for Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals
- R3 Report Issue 11: Pain Assessment and Management Standards for Hospitals
- R3 Report Issue 10: Housing Support Services Standards for Behavioral Health Care
- R3 Report Issue 9: New and Revised NPSGs on CAUTIs
- R3 Report Issue 8: New Antimicrobial Stewardship Standard
- R3 Report Issue 7: Eating Disorders Standards for Behavioral Health Care
- R3 Report Issue 6 - Memory care accreditation requirements for nursing care centers
- R3 Report Issue 5: Alarm System Safety
- R3 Report Issue 4: Patient Flow Through the Emergency Department
- R3 Report Issue 3: Influenza Vaccination
- R3 Report Issue 2: CAUTI
- R3 Report Issue 1: Patient-Centered Communication
- Standards FAQs
- Universal Protocol
- Patient Safety Systems PS Chapter