The Joint Commission announces the promotion of Pearl Darling, MBA, to the position of executive director of the Ambulatory Care Accreditation Program. Reporting to Brian Enochs, JD, executive vice president, Business Development and Marketing, Darling will direct business development, strategic direction and overall product line management for Ambulatory Care Services.  

“Pearl has established valuable relationships with ambulatory surgery firms and large multi-state ambulatory care providers, while working in her previous roles in the Ambulatory Care Accreditation Program,” said Enochs. “Her commitment to patient safety and quality of care has greatly contributed to the growth and retention of The Joint Commission’s ambulatory program. I am confident she will continue to advance our platform while in her new position.” 

Darling has worked for The Joint Commission for nearly 17 years. Previously, she served as associate director for Ambulatory Care, where she focused on the development of system accreditation customers, work with government-supported organizations, and partnership with key national and regional ambulatory surgery management firms. She also served for 10 years in the Division of Accreditation and Certification Operations working with both ambulatory care and hospital customers as lead account executive.

Prior to joining The Joint Commission, Darling served as project manager with a Chicago-based management consulting firm.

Darling holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from DePaul University, Chicago, and earned a master’s in business administration with distinction from the Keller Graduate School of Management, DeVry University. She is also a Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt as part of The Joint Commission’s Robust Process Improvement corporate initiative in process improvement.

The Joint Commission’s Ambulatory Care Accreditation Program was established in 1975, and today more than 2,100 freestanding ambulatory care organizations are Joint Commission accredited. These organizations generally fall into the categories of surgical, medical/dental, diagnostic/therapeutic services, and episodic care. Examples of facilities that can be accredited include ambulatory surgery centers, catheterization labs, primary care clinics, dental practices, dialysis centers, urgent care centers, imaging centers, medical group practices, and telemedicine providers. For more information on the ambulatory care program, visit The Joint Commission website.