The Joint Commission has published lists of the top five most challenging compliance goals for the types of facilities it surveys.
For hospitals, the top challenges were managing risks associated with utility systems (53% noncompliance), maintaining the integrity of the means of egress (52%), maintainin a safe, functional environment (51%), maintaining fire safety equipment and fire safety building features (50%), and reducing the risk of infections associated with medical equipment, devices, and supplies (50%).
For critical access hospitals, the list was similar. The top challenges were maintaining fire safety equipment and fire safety building features (58% noncompliance), managing risks associated with utility systems (58%), maintaining a safe, functional environment (49%), maintaining the integrity of the means of egress (47%), and reducing the risk of infections associated with medical equipment, devices, and supplies (42%).
The Joint Commission collects data on organizations’ compliance with standards, National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs), and other requirements in order to identify trends and focus education on challenging requirements. These data also help The Joint Commission identify risk areas to highlight in the Focused Standards Assessment (FSA) process. For more details, view the table of compliance challenges (PDF) on the Joint Commission website.