The Joint Commission will include a new “Patient Safety Systems” chapter in the 2015 Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals. The purpose of the chapter is to inform and educate hospital leaders about the importance and structure of an integrated patient-centered system that aims to improve quality of care and patient safety. The chapter includes no new requirements. Rather, it summarizes standards from existing chapters. The new chapter will be available online “indefinitely” for customers and non-customers alike.

“For the first time, The Joint Commission is providing a standards chapter on our website because this information is so important that we want everyone to have access to it,” said Ana Pujols McKee, MD, Joint Commission executive vice president and chief medical officer.

The chapter is included only in the hospital accreditation manual. According the The Joint Commission, however, other health care settings may benefit from applying the patient safety strategies discussed in the chapter.