The Joint Commission is aware of the shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, and swab kits at hospitals and other healthcare organizations across the nation amid the COVID-19 pandemic and supports the government’s efforts to meet the demands for more PPE, according to a recent statement.
“We are taking every step possible to assist our accredited health care organizations during this difficult time,” Joint Commission President and Chief Executive Officer Mark R. Chassin, MD, FACP, MPP, MPH stated. “We recognize the utmost importance of PPE to protect healthcare professionals and patients from being infected and infecting others. Many of our employees are also front-line healthcare workers.
“The Joint Commission strongly supports emergency efforts at the federal level to drastically increase the production and distribution of PPE and other necessary medical equipment and supplies. We also support the availability of telehealth services during this time to use less PPE while preventing the spread of infection.”
In the meantime, The Joint Commission continues to participate in daily briefings with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and ongoing calls with the Healthcare and Public Health Sector Coordinating Council (recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as the critical infrastructure partner with the government).
The Joint Commission also has worked with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) to provide it with survey questions for the collection of timely data on hospital challenges. The Joint Commission also remains available to help its accredited organizations develop an appropriate response to COVID-19.
