US Joint Commission to cut more than 700 hospital standards in accreditation overhaul

The Joint Commission has unveiled an overhaul to its healthcare accreditation and certification process that will cut hundreds of requirements for hospitals, streamline patient safety practices and give stakeholders as well as the public a clearer look into what’s expected of an accredited facility.

Called “Accreditation 360: The New Standard,” the changes are described by the organization as “the most significant, comprehensive evolution of Joint Commission’s accreditation process since 1965.”

Headlining the effort is the removal of 714 standing requirements from the hospital accreditation programme, which builds upon the 2023 initiative to cut 400 other requirements. And, starting in July, the Joint Commission said it will have its standards available online for public access and search. 

“Accreditation 360 directly responds to what this moment demands,” Joint Commission President and CEO Jonathan Perlin, M.D., Ph.D., said in the announcement. “Designed by a team of operationally experienced healthcare leaders, this new model removes standards whose time has passed, and we are introducing a suite of novel tools for benchmarking and performance support. Reducing burden helps busy clinicians and healthcare organizations focus on what matters most: delivering the safest, highest-quality and most compassionate healthcare possible.”

Read full story

Source: Fierce Healthcare, 30 June 2025