The Joint Commission news and information

Joint Commission-accredited acute-care and critical-care hospitals whose ambulatory-care offerings include primary-care services can now receive additional certification as a primary-care medical home.
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A Houston-based health system and an Oakland, Calif.-based integrated health plan are among the three 2012 recipients of the John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Awards, given jointly by the National Quality Forum and the Joint Commission.
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The Joint Commission replaced its accreditation program for long-term-care facilities with one that includes new patient-centered care standards and a certification option for specialty services.
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Language Line Services, a Monterey, Calif., provider of phone-based interpretation and translation services to healthcare, manufacturing and other industries, has acquired Dallas-based competitor Pacific Interpreters in a deal that Language Line Services says will form the largest provider of...
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Seven institutions participating in a Joint Commission and American College of Surgeons quality-improvement project to reduce colorectal surgical-site infection rates saved more than $3.7 million by avoiding 135 infections over a 2½-year period.
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The Joint Commission awarded its first comprehensive stroke center certification to the Stanford Stroke Center at Stanford Hospital & Clinics in Palo Alto, Calif.
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In a news conference announcing the Joint Commission's latest list of top performers in quality and safety, President Dr. Mark Chassin contrasted his organization's list with others that assign individual quality ratings or letter grades to hospitals.
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Hospitals increasingly ask patients to pay a medical bill when they arrive or before they leave. Here's a look at how one Minnesota hospital went too far to collect bills and violated Medicare rules and a law that safeguards access to emergency medical care, regardless of ability to pay.
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The Joint Commission announced it has launched an advanced certification program geared specifically toward stroke centers that care for complex cases.
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The accreditation industry is beginning to feel the ripple effects of the rapid growth of accountable care organizations and other payment models, experts say.
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