Language compliance considerations to meet Joint Commission NPGs

Editor's Note

Language access should be considered more than a patient experience issue because it’s also required for safety and accreditation, according to a December 2 story in Becker’s Hospital Review. One example is Joint Commission’s new National Performance Goals that take effect in January 2026, specifically NPGs 4 and 7, per the article.

For example, in NPG 7, relevant language states: “The hospital respects the patient’s right to safe, informed care.”
To meet this expectation, it was recommended in the article that hospitals develop a comprehensive plan with clear procedures, documentation standards, and evaluation processes to guide how language services are delivered and monitored. One important example is for informed consent and discharge planning to be provided in the patient’s preferred language.

A system working to apply this level of language access was highlighted in the article. They embedded interpreters directly into clinical workflows and combined bilingual staff with on-demand video remote interpreting to offer real-time access to language options across their facilities. This healthcare system also began tracking language-specific metrics, such as how language barriers influenced patient outcomes via readmission rates, discharge comprehension, and prescription understanding.