Joint Commission releases 2009 standards

The Joint Commission has made some changes for 2009, including revised standards, rationales and performance requirements for 2009. The new standards, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2009, are now online and available for review. The standards overhaul is primarily administrative, as no new requirements have been added. Instead, key elements like chapter previews, introductions, standards and performance elements have been redesigned. Meanwhile, the standards have been renumbered and reordered to allow electronic sorting--as well as to make it simpler to add new requirements in the future. This first group of revisions focuses on hospitals, critical access hospitals, ambulatory care, office-based surgery and home care. The next will look at behavioral health care, laboratory and long-term care accreditation programs. The second phase will take effect in January 2010.

To learn more about the changes:
- read this HFMA News piece