Joint Commission posts most challenging requirements

Editor's Note

The Joint Commission on March 30 posted the top requirements for accreditation identified most frequently as “not compliant” during surveys and reviews from January 1 through December 31, 2015.

Among the most challenging:

• Granting initial, renewed, or revised clinical privileges to individuals who are permitted by law and the organization to practice independently.
• Reducing the risk of infections associated with medical equipment, devices, and supplies.
• Managing risks associated with utility systems.
• Establishing and maintaining a safe, functional environment.
• Providing and maintaining building features to protect individuals from the hazards of fire and smoke.

Joint Commission Online Weekly Newsletter

When: Thursday, November 13, 2025 · 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Perioperative teams are navigating tighter margins, staffing strain, and new reimbursement pressures such as OBBBA—all while relying on manual and ineffective systems that weren’t built for today’s demands.

Join AssistIQ and health system leaders for a candid roundtable on how hospitals are reimagining supply and implant documentation with AI-powered capture. Panelists will share why they adopted this approach, what implementation looked like, and the measurable impact they’ve seen so far.

“Every product is captured consistently, giving us the foundation to understand our product costs, waste and use.” – Tom Lubotsky, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Allina Health
“We have a financial ROI. We’ve been on it for six months, and we’ve been able to have a 12% increase in billable revenue and a 50% reduction in expired items.” —Beth Steele, Chief Operating Officer, Owensboro Health Regional Hospital

“Our care team members feel the difference right away. Instead of dealing with barcode scans that may not register or having to manually document, our teams can capture every product quickly and accurately while keeping their focus on the patient. More importantly, this improved accuracy helps ensure we have the right product on hand for the next patient, all but eliminating the need to hunt for products as we’re setting up.” –Matt Pavlovec, Patient Care Manager, Allina Health

Meet the Speakers:

Amy Brown, MHA is the Director of Customer Delivery at AssistIQ, where she leads implementation and customer success. With a background in healthcare operations, Amy previously worked within Surgical Services at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital before gaining product and technology experience at a healthcare startup. She brings a deep understanding of perioperative workflows and a passion for helping health systems leverage AI to improve efficiency, accuracy, and the clinician experience.

 

Ryan Ott, MPA is the Director of Financial Operations, Interventional Radiology & Perioperative Services, at North Shore University Hospital, Northwell Health. 

 

Matt Pavlovec is the Patient Care Manager at Allina Health. 

 

When: Wednesday, November 5 | 1:00PM-2:00PM ET

This session introduces clinical nurses to the fundamentals of artificial intelligence in healthcare, with a focus on building AI literacy. We’ll explore essential terminology, real-world examples of generative AI, and ethical frameworks such as the HIMSS “5 Rights of AI.” Participants will gain awareness of emerging technologies, from robotics to AI prompting, and how these tools are influencing clinical workflows, communication, and decision-making.

Agenda:

• Describe key AI concepts and their application in clinical workflows, communication, and decision-making.
• Analyze the ethical considerations of AI in healthcare using frameworks like the “5 Rights of AI in Healthcare.”
• Identify resources and professional development opportunities to cultivate AI literacy and stay current with emerging technologies.

Meet the speaker:

Olga Kagan, PhD, RN, FHIMSS, FAAAAI, NYAM Fellow, is a nurse scientist and educator whose work bridges informatics, innovation, and artificial intelligence in healthcare. Her research and private practice focus on food allergy management and policy through a tech-forward lens. As founder of the Food Allergy Nursing Association (FANA), she advances education and networking for nurses in this emerging subspecialty.

Dr. Kagan teaches graduate nursing informatics and leads initiatives at HIMSS, where she co-developed the “5 Rights of AI for Healthcare” and expanded the AI & Innovation Toolkit. She co-chairs the mHealth & Innovation HITE subcommittee at AAAAI and has served as HIMSS NYS Chapter board member and nursing committee chair, launching its annual Nursing Informatics Symposium in 2021. Currently President-Elect of SONSIEL, she founded its research committee and drives innovation through hackathons and pitch-a-thons globally. At NYAM, she chairs the Nursing Section, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.

Dr. Kagan holds degrees from Hunter-Bellevue and Molloy University and has earned multiple awards for leadership, research, and mentorship. Her thought leadership has been featured on HIMSS TV, several podcasts and in print.

 

When: Tuesday, November 18 at 12:00 PM ET

Objectives:

• Understand the risk of bi-directional pathogen transfer.
  • Gain awareness of how pathogens can move through OR table drapes and the potential implications for patient and staff safety.
• Recognize the value of evidence-based practices.
  • Learn why reviewing the latest scientific research on drape performance is critical for informed decision-making in the OR.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen infection prevention strategies.
  • Discover how selecting and using the right OR table drapes can help reduce infection risks and improve surgical outcomes.

Meet the Speaker: 

Robert Garcia, Infection Prevention Consultant

 

 

Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) transformed its perioperative operations by implementing AI-driven staffing solutions to address critical challenges across 53 operating rooms. This initiative replaced manual, reactive processes with data-driven approaches that revolutionized how perioperative teams are deployed.

OHSU faced significant operational challenges, including time-consuming manual processes, limited visibility into staff experience, and difficulty optimizing team compositions. With innovative staffing technology, OHSU achieved remarkable improvements:

• 25+ hours saved weekly in staffing coordination, redirected to patient care
• 5% improvement in staffed room utilization
• 30% improvement in cross-training opportunities, enhancing care team consistency

Key Takeaways:

• AI-powered solutions transform staffing efficiency and redirect valuable time to patient care
• Data-driven approaches improve team consistency and operational performance
• Predictive analytics enable proactive staffing decisions, reducing last-minute changes
• A single source of truth for staff experience improves assignment accuracy
• Technology supports capacity growth without requiring additional resources

Join us to hear directly from OHSU leadership about their journey, implementation strategies, and the measurable impact on perioperative services. Discover how these solutions can transform your healthcare operations while improving both staff and surgeon satisfaction.

Meet the Speakers:

Dio Sumagaysay, RN, MS, Vice President, Perioperative & Multi-specialty Procedural Services, OHSU

Kristen Lund, RN, Director of OR/MSPU Scheduling & Pre-Operative Medicine Clinic, OHSU

Rayna Tuski, Director of Adult Perioperative Services, OHSU

 

 

 

Shane Stubbs, Senior Manager, Client Success, LeanTaaS

The purpose of this webinar is to show how data can be used for both negotiating with commercial payers and with equipment vendors.  We will have representatives from PayrHealth provide an overview of the reimbursement transparency data reports they have available for providers and how they can be utilized when negotiating with commercial payers.  We will also have staff from the Johnson & Johnson MedTech Sourceview team to showcase their database and how it can be used by providers for negotiating with their MedTech vendors. 

Meet the speakers: 

Eric Walker, Associate Director Health Economics and Market Analysis‬‬, Johnson & Johnson MedTech

 

Scott Dewey, Chief Managed Care Officer, PayrHealth

 

 

Scott Bednarke, Senior Manager, Strategic Account Conversions, Johnson & Johnson

 

 

Jackie Wright, C-Suite Level Leader, Large for-profit National Organization