The Joint Commission has enhanced its survey process for 2025, after calls from member organizations to alleviate administrative burden with more modernized and improved tools.
The enhancements include redesigned survey reports, an updated process for uploading documents and a new peer benchmarking tool, according to a Jan. 8 news release from the organization.
Here are five things to know:
- An enhanced survey report will now be given to all Joint Commission-accredited, -certified and -verified healthcare organizations after any survey.
The redesigned report aims to help organizations better understand survey results through a more user-friendly format. Each report will include an executive summary of the survey findings and follow-up actions. - Part of the survey enhancements include the use of descriptors or "short names" for standards and elements of performance, as opposed to longer reference numbers, on the Survey Analysis for Evaluating Risk Matrix.
Use of the short names will allow organizations to more easily identify and understand areas for improvement. - The Joint Commission designed a new peer benchmarking tool for organizations to compare their survey results and SAFER Matrix placements with organizations of similar size and location. The tool will also provide comparisons in areas such as leadership, national patient safety goals and medication management.
Data provided in the benchmarking tool is intended for the exclusive internal use of Joint Commission-accredited organizations. - Organizations participating in hospital-, critical access hospital- and hospital-tailored accreditation programs now have the option to upload documents directly to the Joint Commission Connect extranet site.
- The for-cause survey process has also been enhanced to provide more transparency to organizations regarding the areas being surveyed, including the plan and general reason for a survey.
At the visit's conclusion, surveyors will verbally provide organizations with an overview of their observations and the associated chapters from Joint Commission manuals. Organizations will also be allowed to ask questions and clarify information.
Read The Joint Commission's full announcement here.