Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on January 12, announced that revisions to the Rights and Responsibilities of the Individual (RI) chapter addressing the written policy on informed consent and organizational use of images, films, and recording of patients will become effective July 1, 2022. Among the revisions: A new bullet…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced January 5, 2022, that, effective immediately, all disease-specific care (DSC) on-site reviews will implement a portion of the off-site review process developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The off-site review process required organizations to upload documentation before the scheduled review, which organizations told…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on December 15, announced that it had updated its 2022 ORYX performance measure reporting requirements for accredited critical access hospitals and hospitals, effective January 1, 2022. Among the updates: The Joint Commission’s new Direct Data Submission Platform (DDSP) will be available for hospitals to submit…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on October 27, announced that it will launch a new Comprehensive Heart Attack Center Certification in July 2022 and is seeking comments on the newly proposed standards. The Joint Commission also has revised standards for its current certification programs: Acute Heart Attack Ready and Primary…

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  Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on October 20, announced a new Quick Safety—“Organization-wide cybersecurity: Creating a culture of defense.” Cybersecurity can no longer be viewed as just the province of the IT department. It must be the responsibility of all staff that have access to digital information, electronic health…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on October 6, announced that it has begun using a hybrid approach with a document review surveyor during deemed hospital re-accreditation surveys meeting eligibility criteria, primarily a fully electronic health record (EHR). The hybrid approach consists of a surveyor working remotely (via Zoom or Microsoft…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on September 29, released new sentinel event data for the first 6 months of 2021. The summary data of sentinel event statistics for the first half of 2021 covers 16,695 incidents reported from 1995 through June 30, 2021. Of these sentinel events: 47% led to…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on September 15, announced that the deadline to participate in the Institute for Safe Medication Practices’ (ISMP) Medication Safety Self Assessment for Perioperative Settings has been extended to December 10. The self-assessment helps those in perioperative settings see how well their organizations’ systems and practices…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on September 8 announced that it has returned to the original volume eligibility requirement for its advanced Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center (TSC) and Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC) certification programs, effective September 1. Volume eligibility requirements were lowered in 2020 and into 2021 because of the COVID-19…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on September 1 announced that it is seeking comments on new and revised emergency management (EM) requirements for its hospital and critical access hospital accreditation programs. The aim of the proposed standards is to help healthcare organizations develop and improve their actions and responses to…

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