On June 30, 2025, the Joint Commission announced the launch of Accreditation 360: The New Standard (the “Accreditation 360”). This initiative is designed to reduce administrative burden, enhance transparency and align accreditation more closely with real-world care delivery and outcomes. Accreditation 360 will remove over 714 requirements from the Joint Commission hospital accreditation program, building on the 2023 removal of approximately 400 standards.
What Changes?
Described as “the most significant, comprehensive evolution of the Joint Commission’s accreditation process since 1965,” Accreditation 360 will include:
- 50% reduction in the number of accreditation standards to reduce burden and streamline compliance.
- Clear alignment with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Conditions of Participation to minimize duplication and clarify regulatory versus performance-based expectations.
- Introduction of 14 National Performance Goals (“NPGs”), which focus on critical areas designed to prevent patient harm, improve outcomes and create a safer environment.
- Emphasis on outcome-based criteria, shifting the focus from compliance with processes to measuring outcomes.
- Launch of the Survey Analysis For Evaluating STrengths (“SAFEST”) Program, beginning January 1, 2026, to broaden resources and allow for collaborative learning across the industry.
SAFEST Program
The SAFEST initiative is a central pillar of the Accreditation 360 model, designed to formally recognize and elevate leading practices observed during the Joint Commission surveys. Under SAFEST, surveyors will identify and document areas of real strength, which the Joint Commission defines as “exceptionally strong processes, identified during survey, which support safe and high-quality care and that other organizations can learn from.” These strengths will be captured in written reports and, over time, will contribute to a growing national database of leading practices. This data bank will empower both surveyors and health care organizations to access proven solutions and foster collaborative, industry-wide learning and continuous improvement.
Going Forward
Despite the significant reduction in the number of standards, the substantive expectations for accreditation remain intact. The Joint Commission has removed over 700 requirements, but this streamlining effort targets redundancies and outdated elements, not the core obligations for safe, high-quality care. Accreditation 360 signals a broader shift toward efficiency, continuous improvement and a stronger emphasis on outcomes-focused approaches, rather than a relaxation of compliance expectations.
Practical Takeaways
- Prepare for the shift as Accreditation 360 emphasizes continuous improvement over the standard survey approach. Organizations should assess their readiness for ongoing engagement and real-time performance tracking.
- Organizations should:
- Review the list of eliminated standards.
- Take proactive steps to streamline internal policies and align them with the new NPGs.
- Take advantage of the new tools offered by the Joint Commission for benchmarking and performance.
For more information on Accreditation 360, or hospital accreditation more generally, please contact:
- Brian Jent at (317) 977-1402 or bjent@hallrender.com;
- Jennifer Skeels at (317) 977-1497 or jskeels@hallrender.com;
- Megan Culp at (317) 429-3644 or mculp@hallrender.com;
- Camilla Moreno Jimenez at (317) 429-3679 or cjimenez@hallrender.com; or
- Your primary Hall Render contact.
Special thanks to Summer Associate Meredith Johnson-Monfort for her assistance in the preparation of this article.
Hall Render blog posts and articles are intended for informational purposes only. For ethical reasons, Hall Render attorneys cannot—outside of an attorney-client relationship—answer specific questions that would be legal advice.
