THE JOINT COMMISSION SHIFTS TO “PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT STANDARDS” FOR 2026

Effective January 1,  2026, Joint Commission standards that were previously known and referred to as Environment of Care (EC), Life Safety (LS), and Emergency Management (EM) will be merged into two standards, which will be identified as “Physical Environment (PE)” and “Emergency Management (EM)”.  Effectively, the EC and LS standards have become one set of standards, “Physical Environment (PE)”,  and Emergency Management (EM) will continue to be referred to as Emergency Management. Also,as of January 1, 2026 “THE JOINT COMMISSION” should revert to “JOINT COMMISSION”as they were referred to in prior years.

In addition to restructuring the standards from three chapters to two, the total number of standards and elements of performance found within these chapters will be significantly reduced.  In 2025, there were a total of 58 standards and 532 Elements of Performance across the three chapters (EC, LS & EM).  In the future, there will be 8 standards and 90 elements of performance contained within the two remaining chapters, PE and EM.  The chart below summarizes the number of Standards and Elements of Performance in each Chapter for 2025 and 2026.

CHAPTERS, STANDARDS, AND ELEMENTS OF PERFORMANCE

2025 AND 2026

2025

          Chapter                                   # Standards                # Elements of Performance 

Environment of Care 19 189

Life Safety 24 284

Emergency Management 15 59

TOTAL 58 532

2026

Physical Environment 8 59

Emergency Management 13 40

TOTAL 21 90

On the surface, this is a significant reduction in the number of standards and elements of performance. In actuality, most of the tasks that organizations had to perform and document previously still will have to be performed and documented in the upcoming 2026 surveys and beyond. For example, specific tests such as monthly and annual generator tests, weekly and annual fire pump tests, annual fire alarm tests, medical equipment testing and inspections, utility system inspections, medical gas system testing, and dozens of other tests and inspections are no longer specifically spelled out as elements of performance in the 2026 standards, but are still required to be done and will still be open for evaluation and citation during upcoming surveys of organizations.

Standards previously identified as EC.01.01.01 and LS.01.01 etc., will be identified as PE.01.01 etc., with the respective elements of performance continuing to be numbered as EP1, EP2, etc.  Standards previously identified as EM.09.01.01 etc., will be labeled in the same fashion, with the respective elements of performance still numbered as EP1, EP2, etc.

The effect these changes will have on organizations and their future survey outcomes is anticipated to make the preparation and presentation of compliance information more difficult to deliver and is likely to result in an overall increase in the average number of findings resulting from each survey.  In general, over the past decade, the number of findings per survey appears to have steadily increased, and there is no reason to believe this trend will change with these modifications.

Understanding  the standards and survey process, survey preparation, and concise organization and management of documents and records for presentation at the survey will be key to successful surveys in the future.

Safety Management Services Inc. and Compquail will be conducting a Webinar of approximately 90 minutes before the 1st of the year to review these changes in greater detail, as well as to demonstrate some of the new software tools that are now available to manage compliance with these standards.  We will be sending email notifications on this Free webinar in a few weeks, but those interested in reserving a spot to this event should send an email to gw@compquail.com now so we can reserve your spot.  If you reserve a spot now, it will allow us to send you an email link for registration within the next two weeks. 

TJC STANDARDS UPDATE FOR 2025

Every year in recent memory The Joint Commission (TJC) has made a point of revising, editing, and/or updating its hospital standards.   Some years’ changes and revisions are quite modest, while in other years they are quite profound and extensive.  This is true for what we have come to know as their Physical Environment Standards, which include the Environment of Care (EC), Life Safety (LS) and Emergency Management (EM ) standards.

Going back over 50 years we can see anything from minor tweaks in the wording of a specific standard to a complete overhaul of the content, numbering, scoring system, and even the addition and deletion, or relocation of entire sections of the standards. In all cases it has always been extremely significant from the accredited organization's perspective to know what these changes are going to be, as early as possible, to enable organizations to prepare their staff, systems, policies, and documentation programs to be as consistent as possible, as early as possible, to help ensure the highest level of compliance and best survey outcome possible.

Over at least the past 20 years, TJC has had a history of pre-publishing these standards in early fall and doing presentations giving specific change information to local and national organization meetings (such as ASHE) for their meetings and conferences. This year, unfortunately, things are different.

This year, unlike prior years, TJC has indicated that it will not be making the new standards available until December 2024.  This has been conveyed through information provided on their website and confirmed through various conversations with TJC and Joint Commission Resources (JCR) staff.

In previous years, and even this year, TJC has advertised the importance of getting accredited organizations pre-publication copies of the following years’ standards so they can adequately prepare for upcoming surveys.  Ironically, this year their stated intent is to get these standards to facilities a month or less before implementation.  The implications of the late availability of these standards are likely to have a significant impact on accredited organizations, particularly ones that will be scheduled for survey in the 1st half of 2025.

In response to what we see as the potential need for additional support for our clients in 2025 we intend to:

-          Notify our subscribers as soon as the 2025 standards related to the Physical Environment have been made available by TJC

-          Provide our subscribers with an impact summary of key changes to the Physical Environment Standards once TJC has made them available

-          Sending timely notifications to our subscribers regarding the impact that significant changes in standards and the standards process will have on upcoming surveys.

-          Periodically add specific Monographs to our library on particularly difficult and complex issues including things like Performance Measurement and Monitoring, ILSM Program Management, Pre-Construction Risk Assessment, Conducting Annual Evaluations, Risk Assessment Process, etc.

-          Conduct a mid-year webinar on the status of the impact of 2025 Physical Environment changes.

·       If you are currently a subscriber to EC Online through Safety Management Services Inc., you will receive an annual renewal invoice when your subscription is due and pay by check or EFT,  or you may email gw@compquail.com and request a link be sent to you from which you can register and pay for your upcoming subscription by credit card.

·        If you are not currently a subscriber to EC Online you may sign up by contacting George Williams at Compliance CMS.  Simply, click on http://econlinecms.com/ the site where you will be able to get a full program description, register for and pay for a 1 year subscription for 2025, and identify the names and email addresses for up to 5 total users per facility.

·        Organizations who are uncertain if they wish to subscribe may receive a 2- week free trial by requesting it from gw@compquail.com .