Joint Commission proposes new requirements for Hospital Accreditation Program

The Joint Commission is proposing new requirements for the Hospital Accreditation Program in an effort to advance effective communication, cultural competence and patient-centered care.

The Joint Commission would like your feedback regarding the value of the proposed requirements and the ability of hospitals to implement them. Please take the time to review and comment on them here. Comments will be gathered through July 20.

The proposed requirements recognize that as the diversity of our nation continues to grow, there is a need to provide hospitals with more robust guidance to address the needs of the populations they serve. Goals include reducing the racial and ethnic disparities that are linked to poorer health outcomes and lower-quality care and addressing communication barriers that result from language, culture, hearing or visual impairment, health literacy, cognitive impairments and disease or disability.

If approved, the requirements would be implemented no sooner than January 2011.

If you have questions about this topic, please contact Christina Cordero.