Joint Commission to tailor accreditation standards for children’s hospitals

Editor's Note

The Joint Commission has launched a new strategy to revise its accreditation and certification programs to better reflect the distinct needs of pediatric care. According to a July 29 announcement, the effort responds to requests from the children’s health community and aims to revise or remove standards that are not applicable to dedicated children’s hospitals.

The organization states that the new initiative represents its first strategic focus specifically on children’s healthcare, noting that current accreditation standards do not differentiate between adult and pediatric populations despite fundamental differences in care needs. To guide this work, The Joint Commission has reportedly formed a Children’s Healthcare Advisory Committee comprising pediatric clinicians and healthcare executives.

The committee is co-led by Michelle Riley-Brown, president and CEO of Children’s National Hospital, and Michael Anderson, MD, a pediatric intensivist and former CEO of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. Both will contribute expertise based on their leadership roles in children’s health systems. Goals include helping determine which standards should be edited and how accreditation and certification can better support children’s development, incorporate family-centered practices, and serve as a national forum for policy innovation and clinical insight. Read the announcement for full details.