The Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits nearly 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, released updated standards that will require accredited hospitals to provide nonpharmacological pain modalities by licensed independent practitioners.
In their ongoing response to the opioid crisis and continued calls to make effective therapies available to patients, the Joint Commission’s revision mandate, effective January 1, 2018, will now require accredited hospitals to provide nonpharmacological approaches to pain, hire licensed independent practitioners, and provide educational resources and programs to improve pain assessment, pain management, and the safe use of opioid medications based on identified needs of its patient population.
Read the new standards in the Joint Commission’s July 2017 newsletter here.