By Justin Marcoux and Carey Sealy, Contributing Writers

For healthcare providers, accreditation by the Joint Commission is a benchmark for quality, but it can present challenges for facility management teams at survey time. For that reason, healthcare facility management teams undoubtedly will welcome Accreditation 360: The New Standard, the Joint Commission’s new streamlined approach to accreditation. 

But the revision comes with a learning curve, and managers must be up to speed before Accreditation 360 takes effect on Jan. 1, 2026. 

Hospital and healthcare accreditation has long played a critical role in supporting patient safety by establishing standards for high-quality patient care. Accreditation 360 documents the most significant, comprehensive evolution of the Joint Commission’s accreditation process since 1965. 

Streamlined and modernized 

Accreditation 360 does not introduce new standards or eliminate Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements historically alluded to in the Joint Commission standards. What is dramatically different is that standards have been streamlined into broader elements of performance, versus highlighting specific requirements of codes or regulations. 

For example, instead of having several elements of performance for maintaining fire safety equipment, only one requirement remains: “The hospital maintains essential equipment in safe operating condition.” 

Perhaps most useful for facility managers is that Accreditation 360 aligns closely with state departments of public health, CMS validation and other accreditation survey processes separate from those of the Joint Commission. Now, all Joint Commission standards, aside from the national performance goals, align with either CMS A-tags for acute care hospitals, C-tags for critical access hospitals or E-tags for emergency management. Meanwhile, Joint Commission life safety requirements are tied to K-tags. 

Also, the CMS 2786R Form is now included in the Joint Commission survey process guide. Most healthcare facility managers already are familiar with the form, which CMS provides to assess compliance with the CMS 2012 Life Safety Code. 

For healthcare facility managers, noteworthy changes include the following: 

New physical environment chapter. Environment of Care and Life Safety chapters that correspond to CMS conditions of performance (CoP) have been consolidated into one physical environment chapter. Every physical environment standard has a K-tag, A-tag or C-tag. 

New national performance goals. National patient safety goals are consolidated into 14 national performance goals that go beyond federal regulations, including CMS standards, to establish clear goals for culture of safety, emergency management, health outcomes, patient safety and more. No CoP tags are associated with national performance goals. 

Related Content: Complying with Joint Commission's Two Biggest Challenges

Enhanced infection control standards. A modernized approach to infection control includes specific protocols for special pathogens. Standards align with CMS guidelines and focus on performance and readiness rather than just documentation. Key updates include fewer standards and a new infection prevention and control program assessment tool in the Joint Commission survey process guide. 

Keeping up to date with compliance 

The Joint Commission has indicated that it expects a learning curve, recognizing that facility management teams need time to adjust. But the Joint Commission will expect healthcare providers to have completed essential tests and measures, even if their documentation and reporting is not fully aligned with Accreditation 360. 

If an organization is due for an accreditation survey in early 2026, facility managers are on the front lines of learning about Accreditation 360. Having spent decades helping healthcare providers address facility compliance, JLL’s healthcare facility compliance team anticipates the need for clarity. For most organizations, current facilities compliance practices are probably still relevant, but facility management teams must be proactive in getting up to speed. 

Facilities managers will need to familiarize themselves with the new, less prescriptive structure and its impact on the survey process, including scoring in the Joint Commission SAFER matrix and final accreditation decision. They also will need to increase their understanding of related CMS and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes, including NFPA 101 and NFPA 99 and all other reference codes, because Accreditation 360 simplifies but does not eliminate these requirements. 

The following are key suggested steps for facility management teams to prepare for the new standards: 

Educate. Educate leadership about the pending change. With accreditation at stake, facility management teams will need leadership support and resources for the level of effort required to adapt. Managers need to educate the leadership team with a straightforward explanation of what needs to happen, bearing in mind that C-suite leaders are not necessarily familiar with K-tags and engineering terms. 

Train. Help the facility management team access training and education. Team members can access training resources provided by the Joint Commission to understand Accreditation 360 and benefit from ongoing support to maintain perpetual survey readiness. Organizations that work with a facility management service provider also can turn to their partner for insights and expertise. 

Update. Update facility management technologies. One critical step will be to update the facility management and compliance systems before Jan. 1, 2026. Whether facilities compliance documentation is electronic or paper, managers need an updated binder system that reflects the Accreditation 360 standards structure. Organizations that use digital healthcare facility management compliance and support technologies with real-time regulatory updates and training support have a major advantage in this regard. 

Confirm. Vendor systems must be up to date. To prevent confusion in record-keeping and overall facilities compliance, facility management vendors also need to be up to date on Accreditation 360. For example, vendors will need to include the source NFPA reference but should remove or replace the now-defunct environment of care or life safety standard. 

Facilities compliance is never simple, but the right expertise and tools make it much easier. One solution is to partner with a healthcare facilities service provider that is constantly monitoring accreditation standards. Using a cloud-based digital platform for healthcare facilities compliance management is another option. 

With a comprehensive electronic system, managers can leverage real-time facilities data to stay compliant and to gain actionable insights to manage physical spaces and critical functions, ensuring peak operational performance. 

Carey Sealy is managing director of JLL Healthcare’s ATG Enterprise Services. Justin Marcoux is the senior director of the healthcare compliance services team in JLL’s Healthcare work dynamics division.