Joint Commission Launches Accreditation 360 to Modernize Standards and Advance Quality Care
New model reduces administrative burden, emphasizes outcomes, and signals future shifts for hospital-based clinical laboratories
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Last month, The Joint Commission unveiled Accreditation 360: The New Standard, a sweeping transformation of its healthcare accreditation model aimed at streamlining requirements, integrating data analytics, and placing greater emphasis on outcomes. While focused broadly on hospitals and health systems, the changes carry clear implications for clinical laboratories operating within accredited facilities.
Accreditation 360 introduces a simplified accreditation manual that clearly distinguishes between CMS-required Conditions of Participation and The Joint Commission’s newly structured National Performance Goals (NPGs). The overhaul removes more than 700 additional accreditation requirements, building on the reduction of 400 announced in 2023.
A new Continuous Engagement Model will provide organizations with year-round support and readiness, while performance data will be leveraged more actively to drive quality improvement.
For hospital-based clinical labs, these reforms represent an opportunity—and an expectation—to align more closely with institutional quality and safety benchmarks. Labs play a vital role in meeting NPGs related to infection control, diagnostic accuracy, and timely reporting. Future changes to laboratory accreditation requirements are likely to reflect this shift toward outcome-based measures and real-time performance benchmarking.
The initiative also includes greater public transparency, with accreditation standards now searchable online, and the launch of the SAFEST Program to identify and share leading practices across accredited organizations.
“This new model reflects a deep understanding of the pressures we face and offers a more collaborative, outcomes-focused approach to accreditation that helps us better serve our patients and communities,” said Laura S. Kaiser, FACHE, president and CEO of SSM Health.