Joint Commission returns to unannounced onsite surveys March 15

Editor's Note

The Joint Commission on March 10 announced that it will be returning to unannounced onsite surveys.

Beginning March 15, organizations will no longer receive a phone call or email when it has been determined the area is at low enough risk for an accreditation survey team to visit.

Organizations should monitor the Notification of Scheduled Events section of their Joint Commission Connect extranet page for notification on the first day of the unannounced survey. The organizations’ accreditation contact and CEO also will receive email notification on the first day of the unannounced survey.

While the survey team is onsite, they will:

• practice safe physical distancing
• wear personal protective equipment
• use enhanced technology to support physical distancing.

If an onsite survey is not possible, the organization will be contacted to see if the survey can be performed virtually, with an onsite evaluation for those that meet the follow-up requirement, the Joint Commission says.