Facts About The Joint Commission

An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. To earn and maintain The Gold Seal of Approval^® from The Joint Commission, an organization undergoes an on-site survey by a Joint Commission survey team at least every three years (Laboratories are surveyed every two years).

The Joint Commission is governed by a 21-member Board of Commissioners that includes physicians, administrators, nurses, employers, quality experts, a consumer advocate and educators. The Joint Commission employs approximately 1,000 people in its surveyor force, at its central office in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, and at an office in Washington, D.C.

• Hospital: General, children’s, psychiatric, rehabilitation, and critical access hospitals
• Home care: Home health, hospice, pharmacy, personal care, medical equipment, and community-based palliative care services
• Nursing care center: Post-acute, sub-acute, and long term care 
• Behavioral health care: Mental health, addiction treatment, ID/DD, and child welfare services
• Ambulatory care: Ambulatory surgery centers, medical groups, urgent care centers, and office-based surgery practices
• Laboratory services: Independent or freestanding clinical laboratories

• A Suite of Advanced Cardiac Certifications
• A Suite of Advanced Stroke Certifications
• Advanced Certification for Palliative Care
• Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement
• Behavioral Health Home Certification
• Community-based Palliative Care Certification
• Disease-Specific Care Certification
• Health Care Staffing Services Certification
• Patient Blood Management Certification
• Perinatal Care Certification
• Primary Care Medical Home Certification (for ambulatory care, hospitals, and critical access hospitals)

• Benefits of accreditation
• Standards and survey process
• Health care quality and safety resources including education events and publications from Joint Commission Resources