The Joint Commission has created a new telehealth accreditation program for eligible hospitals, ambulatory and behavioral healthcare organizations. The program will launch July 1.
The Telehealth Accreditation Program is meant to support organizations that have written agreements to provide care via telehealth in standardizing and reducing risks for care delivered remotely.
"The use of telehealth in the United States increased 154% during early the stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and stabilized at levels 38 times higher than levels in 2019," Jonathan Perlin, MD, PhD, president and CEO of the accrediting body, said in an April 23 news release. "As telehealth continues to evolve, it was imperative to create a new accreditation program to provide a framework to support the integrity of patient safety regardless of the care setting."
Specifically, the program requires organizations to streamline emergency management standards to address care and clinical support remotely. It also requires new standards for provider and patient education on telehealth platforms and services, as well as a new standards chapter focused on telehealth equipment, devices and connectivity.