Joint Commission’s Accreditation 360 reimagines healthcare quality through clarity, data and collaboration
As healthcare organizations navigate increasing regulatory scrutiny and mounting administrative burdens, Joint Commission is spearheading an evolution in accreditation and certification. At Becker’s 31st Annual Meeting The Business & Operations of ASCs, Ken Grubbs, DNP, RN, executive vice president, accreditation and certification operations, and chief nursing officer at Joint Commission, detailed how the organization is redefining its approach through the launch of “Accreditation 360: The New Standard.”
During a featured session, Dr. Grubbs drew from his clinical and operational background to outline how Accreditation 360 aims to reduce administrative burden, clarify standards and elevate patient outcomes.
Below are four key takeaways from the session:
Note: Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.
1. Accreditation 360 reflects a shift from box-checking to outcome-driven care
The initiative, which began with listening tours and immersive clinical site visits, is rooted in understanding frontline clinician experiences. “We have a responsibility from an accreditation perspective to reduce burden where we can,” Dr. Grubbs said. His team identified that many organizations misinterpret accreditation standards due to complexity and redundancy.
In response, Joint Commission eliminated more than 700 requirements from the hospital accreditation program, according to Dr. Grubbs.
“Joint Commission accreditation is foundational to safety and quality,” Dr. Grubbs said. “It’s the care that can and should be delivered.”
2. A data-driven future will define certifications and survey cadence
A core element of Accreditation 360 is its embrace of performance metrics and benchmarking. Joint Commission is now making comparative data available to accredited organizations, allowing them to assess performance systemwide.
This shift also supports enterprise-level risk identification. For example, repeated issues in sterilization processes across multiple ASCs could trigger proactive quality improvement long before a formal citation occurs.
3. National Performance Goals and the SAFEST Program emphasize clarity and alignment
To further guide organizations, Joint Commission introduced a new chapter, known as National Performance Goals, that organizes requirements that rise above regulation into measurable, clinically relevant themes such as “Right Patient, Right Care.” These are not intended to replace U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements, Dr. Grubbs said, but rather reflect current clinical expectations like patient identifiers and surgical site markings.
In 2026, Joint Commission will also launch the new SAFEST program, a performance improvement tool that allows accredited healthcare organizations to share performance strengths observed during surveys — and eventually aggregate best practices.
4. Joint Commission is committed to enabling — not stifling — innovation
Dr. Grubbs underscored that the accreditation and certification processes must evolve to accommodate technologies like artificial intelligence and ambient documentation, which can reduce clinician burden. “We want to be in a space that allows innovation and doesn’t stifle it,” he said.
Looking ahead, he hopes Joint Commission visits won’t prompt anxiety, but rather be seen as opportunities for collaboration and continuous improvement.
Accreditation 360 signals a broader commitment by Joint Commission to transform accreditation and certification into a tool for performance improvement and front-line support, rather than compliance for compliance’s sake.
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