The Joint Commission removed 85 elements of performance from its Ambulatory Health Care accreditation program and 50 elements of performance from its Office-Based Surgery programs, Ambulatory Buzz reports.
The deleted EPs were:
- Duplicative
- In place for years, but addressed now routine concepts
- No longer addressed quality and safety concerns
- Addressed by law and regulation
The Joint Commission's Division of Standards and Survey Method's Joyce Webb said in the blog, "Frankly, we discovered these EPs were no longer needed. There a lot of things organizations do to make sure they provide safe and effective patient care, but not everything needs to be addressed through a Joint Commission requirement. The changes we've made here will help organizations focus on what’s most important."
The deletions will be effective July 1, 2017. A full list will be available in The Joint Commission's monthly newsletter Perspectives.