From the AHAP Blog: Effective date announced for patient-centered communication standards

The Joint Commission has announced that the previously approved patient-centered communication standards will go into effect July 1, 2012.

These standards have been in the works for quite some time–they were first approved at the end of 2009, released at the beginning of 2010, and have been evaluated by surveyors during visits to accredited facilities since January of 2011, but surveyor findings have thus far not had an effect on accreditation decisions.

Note: the standards going into effect are the remaining requirements for the patient-centered communication standards. A pair of requirements had already been implemented as part of The Joint Commission’s efforts to align with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation (CoP) for visitation rights.

For more information, visit The Joint Commission’s website.

Click here to read more on the AHAP blog.