A new hospital chapter from The Joint Commission

The Joint Commission will include a new “Patient Safety Systems” chapter in its 2015 Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals. The purpose of the chapter is to inform and educate hospital leaders about the importance and structure of an integrated patient-centered system that aims to improve quality of care and patient safety, the Joint Commission stated.

There are no new requirements in the Patient Safety Systems chapter. The standards in the new chapter are found in chapters including Leadership, Rights and Responsibilities of the Patient, Performance Improvement, Medication Management, and Environment of Care. The included standards will continue to be published in their respective chapters as well as in the Patient Safety Systems chapter. The standards will be scored in their originating chapter during on-site surveys, according to the Joint Commission. The new chapter includes the following medical staff standards:

Circumstances that require monitoring and evaluation of a practitioner’s professional performance are defined by the organized medical staff. (MS.08.01.01)

Pursuant to medical staff bylaws, the organized medical staff evaluates and acts on reported concerns regarding a privileged practitioner’s clinical practice and/or competence. (MS.09.01.01)

Source: The Joint Commission