Joint Commission to review NPSG 8 - Medication Reconciliation

The Joint Commission posted on their website yesterday that, due to the difficulty hospitals are having with implementation, they will be reviewing NPSG 8 - Medication Reconciliation.

Specifically:

Today, The Joint Commission Accreditation Committee determined that effective January 1, 2009, survey findings on National Patient Safety Goal 8 (Accurately and completely reconcile medications across the continuum of care) will continue to be evaluated during the on-site survey. However, given the difficulties that many organizations are having in meeting the complex requirements of NPSG 8, the Accreditation Committee agreed that The Joint Commission should evaluate and refine the expectations for accredited organizations. While this evaluation is being conducted, survey findings from NPSG 8 will not be factored into the organization’s accreditation decision. In addition, survey findings on NPSG 8 will not generate Requirements for Improvement (RFIs) and will not appear on the accreditation report.

You can read the entire posting at the Joint Commission Website here.