Last week The Joint Commission announced it had made revisions to four elements of performance (EP) included in its National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG). The revisions, announced in the June 23 Joint Commission Online reflect the most up-to-date practice. When the original EPs were written, they reflected evidence-based practice at that time, but because science continues to develop, The Joint Commission felt these revisions were necessary. There are no additions to existing NPSGs, and the revisions are effective immediately.
The specific revisions include changes to:
- NPSG.03.05.01, EP 6: Related to anticoagulant therapy-required lab-tests.
- NPSG.07.04.01, EP 11: Related to central line-associated bloodstream infections, specifically antiseptics for skin preparation.
- NPSG.07.05.01, EP 7: Related to surgical site infections, specifically administration of antimicrobial agents for prophylaxis.
- NPSG.07.05.01, EP 8: Also related to surgical site infections, specifically methods for hair removal.
For the full changes, see this issue of Joint Commission Online.
The Joint Commission also announced last week that it would be categorizing its performance improvement measures into "accountability" measures and "non accountability" measures. This announcement is based on an article published in the June 23 New England Journal of Medicine. Mark Chassin, MD, MPP, MPH, president of The Joint Commission, was the lead author of the article.
Those quality measures that are considered to meet the standards for accountability will have to meet four criteria: Research, proximity, accuracy, and adverse effects. Taking these criteria into account will allow quality measures to positively affect patient outcomes. The hope is that those measures that offer more of a provision of good advice for patient care, and are not really measures of quality, will become less important as the "non accountability" measures. For example, two of these types of measures currently include smoking cessation counseling and providing discharge instructions for heart failure patients.
The Joint Commission has decided to separate its existing quality measures into these different categories to reflect to use performance measure data as a means of transparency, as well as to prepare for the future. You can find more about this announcement in a special issue of Joint Commission Online.
Heather Comak is a Managing Editor at HCPro, Inc., where she is the editor of the monthly publication Briefings on Patient Safety, as well as patient safety-related books and audio conferences. She is also is the Assistant Director of the Association for Healthcare Accreditation Professionals. Contact Heather by e-mailing hcomak@hcpro.com.