By Healthcare Facilities Today

The Joint Commission June 19 announced its decision process for certification programs will now have only two outcomes: Certified or Not Certified. This change takes effect immediately. 

Previously, the outcomes for certification had mirrored those of the traditional accreditation decision process, and had included Certification, Certification with Follow-up Review, Contingent Certification, Preliminary Denial of Certification and Denial of Certification. 

According to the Joint Commission, the decisions are now defined as:

Certified programs meet all the requirements relevant for their particular program, and either

Not Certified programs are those that

Programs that receive a Not Certified decision due to an unacceptable ESC may appeal the decision with The Joint Commission Accreditation Committee.

The Joint Commission warns that although the results of a certification program’s decision have no effect on an organization’s accreditation status, a potential Immediate Threat to Health or Safety situation discovered during a certification review may trigger a for-cause accreditation survey of the larger organization that could affect its accreditation status. 

For more information on the changes to the certification program, visit www.jointcommission.org.