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How to use The Joint Commission for Patient Care Concerns

The Joint Commission used to have a process for nurses to contact them in advance to request participation in their accreditation survey visits. However since they moved to “unannounced” (hospitals know roughly when they are scheduled) visits, that option has been eliminated for nurses.

You now have the following 3 options to report a concern to TJC*:

Three Ways to Report Patient Care Concerns to The Joint Commission

  1. Send an email to complaint@jointcommission.org
  2. Visit The Joint Commission web site (www.jointcommission.org) & click on the link for “Report a Complaint about a Health Care Organization” 
  3. Call The Joint Commission’s Complaint Line (800) 994-6610. This is a recorded message option. Leave a recorded message, or after dialing, wait and press 2 to reach a person, between the hours of 9:30 am- 6 pm EST (Massachusetts) time.

There also are options to ask questions of TJC’s standards department if you are uncertain what TJC requirement or standard on a given issue might be. These are in the box below:

 

To Inquire About a Joint Commission Standard      

You can request information on The Joint Commission’s standard on an issue is by going online to:
http://www.jointcommission.org/standards_information/online_question_form.aspx

This site offers 4 options:

  1. Online form. 
  2. Telephone call to their Standards Interpretation Group at 630.792.5900, 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST. 
  3. Fax your question to 630.792.5942.  They ask for faxes to include:
    • Your full name
    • Name of your Health Care Organization
    • Manual(s) under which you are accredited
    • Full address including City, State and Zip Code
    • Phone Number (with time and date when you can be reached by phone)
    • Fax Number
  4. U. S. Mail addressed to Standards Interpretation Group, The Joint Commission, One Renaissance Blvd.
    Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181

If you have questions or need to report anonymously please contact the MNA’s director of nursing, Judith Pare, at jpare@mnarn.org or 781.830.5714, or Mary Crotty RN JD at 781.830.5743, mcrotty@mnarn.org at the Massachusetts Nurses Association for assistance.

* The Joint Commission now requires accredited organizations to post this information and to encourage staff and patients to contact The Joint Commission directly with quality-of-care concerns. 

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