# Joint Commission

> The Joint Commission is a US group that accredits hospitals, outpatient, nursing care and home care sites. It also sets the Sentinel Event Policy.

Source: https://incidentkit.ai/glossary/joint-commission · Updated Oct 5, 2026

Also known as: TJC, The Joint Commission

## What it is

It publishes a Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for each type of site, such as hospitals, nursing care centers, home care and assisted living. Each manual has a chapter on the Sentinel Event Policy, first adopted in 1996.

Its Office of Quality and Patient Safety (OQPS) reviews reported sentinel events, plus the analysis and action plan a site sends in.

## After a serious event

Sites it accredits need a sentinel event policy. They must study each such event in full, most often with a root cause analysis. Then they carry out the action plan and check that it works.

Reporting to the Joint Commission is encouraged, not required. Surveyors check how a site responds to safety events, adverse events, unsafe conditions and close calls, and to sentinel events. They do not hunt for them.

Mix-up: its standards are not CMS rules. Its accreditation can support [deemed status](https://incidentkit.ai/glossary/deemed-status) where CMS has approved its program, but the site still follows CMS rules. Its terms, like [sentinel event](https://incidentkit.ai/glossary/sentinel-event), also differ from CMS usage.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Joint Commission accreditation mandatory?

Not for Medicare. It is voluntary, and providers can use State agency surveys instead. Some states, payers or contracts may require it.

### Does the Joint Commission require reporting of sentinel events?

No. Self-reporting is strongly encouraged, not required. You must still have a policy and study every such event in full.

### Does a sentinel event affect our accreditation decision?

Not by itself, says the policy. Willful failure to respond well could, such as missing the extra 45 days after the analysis is due.

## Sources

- [Joint Commission: Sentinel Event Policy (SE chapter), Comprehensive Accreditation Manual, Update 1, July 2026](https://www.jointcommission.org/-/media/tjc/documents/resources/patient-safety-topics/sentinel-event/camncc_20_se_all_current.pdf)
- [CMS State Operations Manual, Chapter 2: The Certification Process](https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/som107c02.pdf)
- [42 CFR 488.5: Application and re-application procedures for accrediting organizations](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-488.5)

## Related terms

- [Sentinel event](https://incidentkit.ai/glossary/sentinel-event)
- [Deemed status](https://incidentkit.ai/glossary/deemed-status)
- [AAAHC](https://incidentkit.ai/glossary/aaahc)
- [Root cause analysis](https://incidentkit.ai/glossary/root-cause-analysis)
- [Harm scale](https://incidentkit.ai/glossary/harm-scale)

## Related

- [Joint Commission accreditation: surveys and sentinel events](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/accreditation/joint-commission)
- [Joint Commission survey readiness: tracers, unannounced](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/survey-readiness/joint-commission-survey-readiness)
- [AAAHC vs Joint Commission for ASCs: how they compare](https://incidentkit.ai/blog/aaahc-vs-joint-commission-for-ascs)
- [What is a sentinel event? Definition, examples, response](https://incidentkit.ai/blog/what-is-a-sentinel-event)
- [Joint Commission sentinel event policy: definition and RCA](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/reporting-deadlines/sentinel-events)